Both Sides Now
by columbiachica
Summary: It's summer in Stars Hollow, and the heat is making Rory feel unfamiliar feelings. R/J. Note the small rating change; most of the objectionable stuff is implied, though, so it's mainly a precaution.
1. Frappacino Knockoffs and a Broken Air Co...

Pairing: R/J thus far.  
  
Rating: PG-ish.  
  
Disclaimer: Obviously, these characters are still not mine. If they were, I would write better fanfic about them. (  
  
Author's Note: Okay, I kind of started this fic in my own time zone. Let's see…I'll suffice it to say that "Teach Me Tonight" has not happened, even though it's summertime. Try to enjoy.  
  
1  
  
2  
  
3 Part One: Frappacino Knockoffs and a Broken Air Conditioner  
  
It was hot. It was so hot that the trees were dripping with sweat. Their leaves drooped, exhausted from the heaviness of the day. The grass was wilted and soft underfoot, almost sticky. In town, the cement blazed with mirages and storefronts gleamed blindingly. The quiet town of Starts Hollow was quieter than normal, slower than usual. Everyone moved languidly; even Miss Patty couldn't bring herself to walk around town and collect gossip.  
  
The air conditioner in the Gilmore house was broken. Rory Gilmore was stretched out on the living room couch in a pair of shorts with three fans blowing on her. Her hair, pulled back into a ponytail, was frizzy, with tendrils sticking wetly to her forehead and the back of her neck. Sighing, she shifted uncomfortably for the umpteenth time in the last hour. It was silent in the house, save for the rustling of her novel. The strong gust from the fans made the thin pages of The Lord of the Flies flutter.  
  
Again, Rory reached up to wipe the sweat off her brow. It had pooled there, dripping slowly into her eyes and obstructing her vision. Rory had stopped comprehending her book about thirty minutes ago. All she could focus on was the desperate heat that encased her. Her legs were slick with sweat, and her thighs kept adhering to one another. The fans did their best to evaporate her sweat, but were no contest for the heat and humidity. Frustrated, Rory slammed her novel down on the coffee table. She slid her flip-flops on and, not bothering to lock the front door, clomped down the porch steps on her way into town.  
  
The streets were utterly deserted, save for a car here and there. No one wanted to walk anywhere today, and Rory could tell why. But she was desperate for an iced coffee and an air-conditioned location. The bell above Luke's door clanged invitingly, and Rory sat gingerly on a vinyl- covered bar stool. She rested her overheated arms on the cool Formica counter and waited for someone to emerge from the kitchen.  
  
"Taking the natural look to the extreme?"  
  
"Hi, Jess," Rory greeted him. "I want an iced coffee."  
  
"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves. Did I ask you what you wanted?" Jess grinned.  
  
Rory returned it. "No, I'm telling you what I want."  
  
"Well, when you put it that way…" Jess disappeared into the kitchen and Rory was left alone at the counter. There were only two other patrons in the restaurant, both middle-aged women eating sandwiches with iced tea. Rory looked around the diner, drumming her nails on the countertop. It never changed, Rory noted with satisfaction. "Where's your boyfriend?"  
  
The question startled Rory. Jess' voice came from beside her, frightening her. "I didn't even see you come up!" Rory cried in surprise.  
  
"But did you hear the question?"  
  
Rory took a long drag from the beverage. "Ahhh," she sighed involuntarily. "He's working today."  
  
"Day like this?"  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes, a day like this. You're working on a day like this."  
  
Jess shrugged. "Doesn't seem like Taylor would need a lot of help today."  
  
Rory answered with a shrug of her own. She took another gulp of the drink. "This is good."  
  
"Frappacino knockoff," Jess said disparagingly.  
  
"Designer drinks for less," Rory replied. "It works for clothing manufacturers."  
  
Jess stared at Rory for a long moment, causing her to shift in her seat and gaze at her hands uncomfortably. "So, what were you doing?"  
  
"Before I came here?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I was reading."  
  
"Shocking."  
  
Rory grinned. "Yeah. It was too hot to read, though."  
  
"Too hot to do much of anything. What were you reading?" Jess asked, interest gleaming in his eyes.  
  
"Lord of the Flies."  
  
"Great book. Heavy on the symbolism. Tough read."  
  
Rory heaved a breath. "Yeah. I spent twenty minutes trying to comprehend two pages."  
  
"You can borrow my copy, if you want. I've got some notes in the margins."  
  
"Is there a book where you don't have notes in the margins?" Rory asked, smiling.  
  
Jess tamped his chin in mock thought. "No, don't think so."  
  
Rory nodded. With a final sip of her iced coffee, she was done. "It sure does go fast," Rory noted.  
  
"Especially when you drink it like a Hoover."  
  
"Best vacuums around."  
  
Jess picked up her glass. "You want another?"  
  
Rory checked her watch. Dean had a break coming up pretty soon, she was sure. "No, I better go," she said.  
  
Jess eyed her. "Because you want to see Dean?" Rory's eyes shifted for a split second, and Jess nodded. "Well, have fun."  
  
Rory stood up. "I will." She left her money on the counter, but Jess shoved it back.  
  
"On the house."  
  
"Thanks." Rory awkwardly put the money back in her pocket and haltingly turned. The bell chimed again, and Rory was released into the scorching heat. Instantly, she felt as though she had been transported into a sauna, but she quelled the urge to go back into Luke's. It was just a block to Doose's.  
  
There was no bell on Doose's door, but anyone could hear her come in. It was tomb-like in there, with no sound save for the occasional rasp of metal on metal as cans were stocked. Rory wandered up and down the five aisles, looking idly for Dean. She found him on aisle five, the canned foods aisle, where Rory and her mother rarely ventured. "Hey," Rory said.  
  
Dean turned, surprised, and smiled. "Hey, you." He leaned down a considerable distance and pecked her on the forehead. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Rory smiled. "I'm here to see you."  
  
"Nice."  
  
"And the air-conditioner is broken."  
  
"Now she gets to the real reason," Dean said, and shoved the last can onto the shelf. He turned fully to her and smiled. "I'll ask Taylor if I can take my break now." His shoes made soft squeaking noises as he walked down the aisle. Rory turned in an exaggerated fashion and observed the unfamiliar aisle with an air of discovery. Canned okra. Canned lima beans. Canned carrots. Rory was beginning to realize why her mother refused to step foot in the canned goods aisle. "Let's go to Luke's," Dean's voice suggest from behind her.  
  
Rory twisted to face him, her lip captured between her teeth. Her eyes pleaded with him, softly begging him not to be angry. Dean's face hardened a little and he said, "Jess is there, isn't he? You went there already." Dean shook his head. "I think I better get back to work."  
  
"Dean, please don't be mad. I went in for an iced coffee, that's all." Rory grasped his forearm and squeezed lightly.  
  
"And you couldn't wait for me?" Dean's face looked cold and hurt, and he nodded when she offered no argument. "See you later." Without another word, Dean grabbed another box of foodstuffs and began stocking the shelves again with a rhythmic grate. Defeated, Rory left Doose's waving at a suspicious Taylor on the way out.  
  
The heat hit her again, pouring over her body in waves and pounding in her head. Shading her eyes with her hand, Rory walked down the street in no hurry. The pace of her walk allowed her to contemplate where to go. Lorelai wouldn't be happy if Rory showed up at the inn in ratty old shorts and an ancient T-shirt. Lane was probably not allowed to see anyone today, since she and Rory had spent hours at the Gilmore house yesterday. Therefore, Rory concluded that she had to head home, into the labyrinth of heat awaiting her.  
  
Rory took the shortcut home, hoping to avoid any long stretches in the sun. The shortcut sliced through the park and Babette and Morey's spacious backyard. When Rory finally arrived home, her feet were killing her from the flip-flops, and she was drenched in sweat. In vain, she searched the house for more fans, but the only six they had were concentrated in Rory's room and the living room. Guiltily, Rory thought she should put some in Lorelai's room, but it was just too hot.  
  
For once, her novel looked unappealing. Glancing around, the only thing that looked inactive enough to do was watch TV. Rory was unaccustomed to daytime TV, but she flipped it on nonetheless and channel-surfed for forty- five minutes. When she heard the chafe of the door against the wood floor, her heart stopped.  
  
"Hey! Anyone home?"  
  
Rory exhaled when she recognized Jess' voice. "You know, it's considered polite to knock in most cultures."  
  
Jess came around the corner carrying a beverage tray. "M'lady."  
  
Rory jumped off the couch, the most strenuous physical activity she had engaged in all day. "A whole tray! How much do I owe you?" Rory seized the tray out of his arms and trotted to the kitchen. She took them out and set them lovingly in the refrigerator.  
  
"Nothing." Jess leaned against the doorjamb and watched her arrange the iced coffees. "How was your time with Dean?"  
  
Rory turned to look at him and took in his smug look. "You know."  
  
Jess lifted a shoulder. "Yeah. You guys have a fight or something?"  
  
Rory frowned. "That's none of your business."  
  
"Okay. It just seemed like you walked past the window twice in pretty quick succession." Jess raised his eyebrows and Rory blushed a little. "So, channel-surfing. You never struck me as the type."  
  
"Oh. Well, I was having some trouble concentrating on the book, and I was kind of…tired from the heat and all, and I've never really done it during the day before—in fact, I only really do it with my mother—"  
  
"Hey, hey. Whoa. It's not like I'm going to define you by that moment." Jess grinned disarmingly, and Rory smiled back. "It's hot in this house. You guys ever think to turn to air conditioner on?"  
  
Rory sighed in exasperation. "It's broken. The repair guy won't come out till Thursday."  
  
"So you have to survive two days in this sweltering house? Why don't you just stay at the inn?"  
  
"Booked solid. July is the busiest month."  
  
Jess got off the doorjamb. "Here, I'll take a look at it."  
  
Rory's eyes widened. "Oh, well…"  
  
"Lead me to it."  
  
Rory pondered. What harm could it do? It was already broken. "Okay. It's right out here, behind the house…" Jess followed her lead as she walked through the heavy grass. "We don't know what's wrong with it."  
  
"Obviously, or you might have fixed it by now."  
  
Rory shook her head. "Never trust my mother around tools. Any kind of tool. Power or manual, doesn't matter."  
  
Jess raised his eyebrows. "I'll keep that in mind." He leaned over the appliance and squinted into it. "Do you know where the screwdriver is?"  
  
Rory thought for a second. "I'll be right back." She ran as fast as she could into the house, panting, and searched for the screwdriver. She knew she had hidden it somewhere around here…aha: in the back of the seldom- accessed vegetable crisper. "Here." Rory handed it to Jess. "Don't tell my mother I let you use it. She'll get jealous and make you tell her where it is."  
  
"I don't know where it is," Jess pointed out.  
  
"Well, you'll get annoyed and make up a location. And I might have something else hidden there."  
  
Jess nodded, his head buried in the large machine. Rory stood on her toes, rocking on the balls of her feet, trying to see what was happening without getting too close. "It's not going to explode, you know."  
  
Rory immediately settled onto her feet again. "What? Oh, I know. Duh."  
  
"So, if you wanted to know what I was doing, you could come closer."  
  
Rory nodded. She knelt down on the lawn next to Jess and observed as he skillfully fixed the air conditioner. He twisted a screw here and there and tightened bolts with his fingers. The fan got dusted off, and he inspected the grating. Then, he leaned back. "I think it's fixed," he announced.  
  
Rory smiled. When she backed out as well, she was approximately an inch from Jess' face. She breathed shallowly, unsure. If he kissed her, she didn't know that she could restrain herself from kissing back. Jess wavered a little, dipping forward a fraction of an inch before clearing his throat and standing up. Rory scrambled to her feet and held out her hand. "Screwdriver," she demanded.  
  
Jess handed it back, looking intently into her eyes. "As you wish."  
  
Rory felt the weight drop into her hands, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the look on his face. A rustling sound made her jump and practically leap inside the door. "Let's turn this thing on, see if you have worked a miracle."  
  
Jess trailed her in the house and shut the door after himself. He watched as Rory dropped the screwdriver back into the crisper drawer. She straightened and went over to the controls. The buttons were large and easy to read, so he watched over her shoulder. Rory punched in the desired temperature and stood back. She stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and lolled on the backs of her heels.  
  
"Does it usually take this long?" Jess asked.  
  
Rory shrugged. "I've never really paid attention." Another minute of silence ensued. Suddenly, there was a loud mechanical chink, and then some whirring noises. Rory raised her eyebrows in a hopeful expression, and ran over to the vent. Sure enough, cool air coursed through the vent. "Oh my God." She stood and faced Jess, forced herself to look him in the face. "Thank you. For everything. The coffee and the air conditioner—"  
  
"No problem."  
  
Rory walked ahead of him. "Do I owe you anything? 'Cause labor costs nowadays." Rory kept leading him toward the door.  
  
"A date."  
  
Rory halted. She stopped so fast, in fact, that she nearly hit the sharp edge of the table in the foyer. "What?" she squeaked past her dry throat.  
  
"A date." Jess made a hand gesture. "Normal bonding ritual for young Americans of opposite sex."  
  
"I know what a date is, I just…" Rory bit her lip. "I just think it would be better for me to pay you in cash."  
  
Jess smirked. "Scared of Dean?"  
  
Rory huffed indignantly. "I'm not scared, I just don't think—"  
  
"It's a good idea," Jess finished for her as he backed toward the door. "You know what your problem is, Rory Gilmore?" He rested his hand on the doorknob. "You need to give into your impulses once in a while." He twisted the knob and let himself out of the newly-cooled house and into the sweltering day.  
  
Rory watched the door swing shut and bit her lip. She stood in that spot for some time, thinking of Jess' remarks. Unconsciously, she licked her lips, thinking about the almost-kiss that had transpired in the backyard. Unearthing herself from her reverie, she shook her head. What was she thinking? She could never do that to Dean. It was the heat, Rory decided, turning and heading for the couch. 


	2. Rebel Without a Cause

1 Part Two: Rebel Without A Cause  
  
Pairing: Still R/J  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the last part.  
  
Author's Note: Well, it's the same as last time. I am in my own little world.  
  
Lorelai crashed in the door and flung her purse into the living room. "Rory!" she cried. "Rory!" she hollered again for good measure. She waltzed through the living room, shedding her top. Her camisole was adhered to her skin uncomfortably, but she decided against shedding that. It was never a good idea to walk around the house nude lest Kirk be lurking with his camera. "Rory!"  
  
Lorelai found her in the kitchen, reading at the table. "Hi, Mom," she greeted her calmly.  
  
Lorelai crumpled into a seat. "God. I am so glad that this day is over. It's just been long…there was an incident with Rune and a watermelon that I wish I could erase from my memory…all the guests were cranky." Lorelai let her head fall into her hands.  
  
Rory smiled softly at her mother. "It's supposed to cool down by Saturday."  
  
"Oh, well good. If I were a long-term thinker, that might actually make me feel better."  
  
Rory rose and shrugged. "I tried. It's not my fault you're a pessimist."  
  
"Let's get something to eat. Mmm, Luke's." Lorelai jumped out of her seat, then paused and turned slowly to Rory. "Wait a minute." Rory raised her eyebrows. "It's suspiciously cool in here."  
  
"I know. Jess fixed the air conditioner."  
  
Lorelai's facial expression changed minutely. "Jess, huh?" she asked, trying to keep her tone cheerful.  
  
"Yeah, Jess." Rory put her empty glass of milk in the sink. She faced her mother. "What?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing. Uh, let's go. How about Chinese?"  
  
Rory scrunched her face. "I want something cool."  
  
"The Chinese make cool things." Lorelai twirled her car keys.  
  
"I thought you wanted to go to Luke's."  
  
"I changed my mind," Lorelai argued.  
  
"When? Why? We always go to Luke's. And he has cold food. The Chinese aren't big on cold food."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Why do you want to go to Luke's so badly?"  
  
"Why do you want to eat Chinese so badly?" Rory crossed her arms defensively.  
  
"I don't like you hanging out with Jess!" Lorelai exclaimed.  
  
"We're just going there to eat!" Rory yelled back.  
  
Lorelai sighed raggedly. "Rory, I don't like him!"  
  
"Well, I do."  
  
"Rory, babe, I know you think that he's…I don't know, cool. But he's going to hurt you. He's going to disappoint you. You think he's something he's not." Lorelai shook her head.  
  
"I'm not you, Mom."  
  
Lorelai's mouth drew in anger. "Let's just go," she said tersely.  
  
Pursing her lips, Rory sighed. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No, that's okay," Lorelai replied, her back still to Rory.  
  
"Mom—"  
  
"If he's that important to you, Rory. Just remember what I said." Lorelai opened and shut the door without looking to see if Rory was behind her. Reluctantly, Rory followed. Lorelai started the car and put it in gear with jerky motions, and Rory looked out the window. "What about Dean?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"What does Dean think?"  
  
Lorelai wouldn't look at Rory, which was a bad sign. "I don't know what you mean."  
  
"Well, is Dean okay with him?"  
  
Rory shifted awkwardly. "You know the answer to that. Why?"  
  
"Well, if this many people are averted to him…"  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. She turned back to the window and watched the landscape go by in a blue as her mother drove. What was with this town? They drove past Dean's house, and Rory frowned, but twisted resolutely away from the window and fixed her stare straight out the windshield. It was dusk, foggy and mysterious out, and it made Stars Hollow look different than the bright sunshine. In a way, it seemed vaguely scary with its deserted streets and dim lighting.  
  
Lorelai jerked to a halt in front of Luke's and the Gilmores climbed out wordlessly. Once again, it was deserted, and the only people in there were Luke and another man, seated at a table in the corner. He was eating a salad and reading a newspaper. Per usual, the Gilmores chose barstools and Lorelai tapped her fingernails on the counter. "Luke!" she called.  
  
Obediently, Luke appeared. "What?"  
  
"Food."  
  
"This is a diner, it's what we serve. You'll have to narrow it down."  
  
Lorelai morphed her face into a look of contemplation. "How about…chili fries and iced coffee."  
  
Luke looked at Rory. "Haven't you had enough coffee today?"  
  
Rory widened her eyes. "Is that a rhetorical question?"  
  
"Well, I assume you've finished off the tray of iced stuff Jess brought over."  
  
"Jess brought the Frappacino knockoffs over?" Lorelai looked pointedly at Rory, who continued to look at Luke. "When was this?"  
  
"This afternoon. And Luke's right; I drank them already. Therefore, I need more."  
  
"You didn't save any for me?"  
  
"There were only six." Rory finally swiveled to her mother and shrugged. "Just enough for one person."  
  
"You'd suck at rationing food." Lorelai redirected her attention to Luke. "Two orders of chili fries and two iced coffees."  
  
"Coming right up…but I'm keeping my eye on you, kid. The last thing we need is another Lorelai roaming this town."  
  
"Well, I will leave eventually." Rory smiled sweetly.  
  
"God help that town." Luke stepped through the doorway to the kitchen.  
  
"Jess brought coffees, huh?"  
  
"Yes, Mom. Just a friends thing."  
  
"A friends thing."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I wonder if Dean would call it the same thing."  
  
Rory closed her eyes for a second. "It doesn't matter what Dean would call it. He's my friend. Dean doesn't get to choose my friends."  
  
"No, but you do."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means you ought to make wiser choices."  
  
"Coming from you, that means a lot."  
  
Lorelai's eyes dilated in anger, and she flew off the barstool. "I'll see you at home." The door slammed seismically after her, and Rory winced. She couldn't believe she had just said that. Dejected and ashamed of herself, she put her head in her arms.  
  
"Something wrong? Where's Lorelai?" Luke set the food down. "No one else I know will drink coffee this strong."  
  
Rory slid off the stool. "I better go after her. Do I need to pay you?"  
  
Luke waved his hand. "When I have this little business, wasted coffee and chili fries mean nothing."  
  
"Thanks." Rory let herself out into the considerably cooler evening. Although the air was still palpable, the lack of beating sun made the weather bearable. The Jeep was gone, and Rory turned the appropriate corner to go home. She meandered with little speed through the streets and thought of what to say to her mother.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Rory looked to her left. Dean was walking beside her. "Hey."  
  
"Saw you walking past. Trying to get my attention?"  
  
"I've always tried so hard in the past," Rory teased. "No, just walking home."  
  
"From Luke's?" Dean asked, suddenly accusatory.  
  
"I was there with my mom. We had a fight."  
  
"About what?" Dean resumed his casual walk, satisfied with the response.  
  
Rory bit her lip and looked right. "Oh, nothing really. Just some…grandparents stuff."  
  
"Oh." Dean loped beside her in companionable silence for a long while. "Rory?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you like Jess?"  
  
Facing him, Rory squinted. "Like, like him, or just like him?"  
  
"Either."  
  
They continued on for a little bit, and Rory mulled over how to answer the question. "We have a lot in common," she settled on.  
  
"Like what? He's the world's biggest slacker."  
  
"Not school stuff. He likes to read. I like to read. He likes weird music. I like weird music. Et cetra, et cetra."  
  
Dean peered into the distance. "Do you like him?"  
  
Rory set her sights on the same horizon. "No."  
  
"Good." Dean nodded. They stopped at her porch steps. "Sorry about the market."  
  
"No, it was my fault. I should have waited, I was just desperate for an iced coffee."  
  
Dean shook his head. "No, that's okay. I overreacted." He paused. "I just don't like Jess and I don't like you being with him. But I can't choose your friends."  
  
"No, you can't," Rory agreed.  
  
"So if that's who you like…not like, but like," Dean clarified with a smile, "then I guess that's your choice."  
  
"Yeah." Rory hugged him around the waist and kissed him. "You're right." She started up the steps, but Dean held onto her wrist. He pulled her to him and kissed her again. Rory raised her eyes to his, sparkling a little, with a faint smile on her lips. "Goodnight."  
  
Dean pecked her forehead. "Goodnight." He watched her until the door clicked shut. For a little while, he didn't move, until he wagged his head back and forth and forced his feet to actuate him toward home.  
  
Rory rounded the corner into the living room. Her mother wasn't anywhere in sight, so she continued onto the kitchen. No mom. She explored the entire downstairs until she verified that her mother wasn't down there. The stairs seemed steeper than usual as she climbed them. The door to her mother's room was shut, so she knocked. "What?" came from within.  
  
"Mom? Can I come in?"  
  
"Sure." Lorelai was spread out lengthwise on her bed with her arms and legs hanging off either side, clothing crumpled, her camisole discolored from the sweat. There was a crumpled Kleenex peeking out from her fist.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I know." Lorelai wouldn't look at her. Rory stood at the end by her mother's side and waited. It would just be a matter of time until Lorelai said something…right? "I know you're not me, Rory. And I'm glad. I just don't want to see you hurt." Lorelai gulped. "And I think Jess might do it to you. I'm trying to protect you."  
  
Rory sat on the edge. "I know."  
  
"And I don't want you to regret anything. Because I don't regret you, not for a second, but sometimes I wonder what would have happened…"  
  
"I know, Mom. But Jess isn't going to get me pregnant."  
  
Lorelai exhaled noisily. "I know, kid. But he might do something else. Just be careful, all right? I've known kids like that. They're mad at the world, and I don't want you to be like that."  
  
Rory lay down next to her mother. "I'm sorry."  
  
Lorelai's hand groped for Rory's. "Don't be."  
  
The two lay there for a long time with nothing but the insistent whir and chug of the ceiling fan between them. The air conditioner clicked on and off, washing waves of frigid air over their lethargic bodies. Finally Rory said, "I can't believe you wore that to Luke's."  
  
"What? This? I bought it in Milan. It's all the rage." Lorelai tugged at the sweat-stained tank top. "Hey, at least I had underwear on."  
  
"A bra is questionable, however."  
  
Lorelai huffed. "It's too hot to wear a bra."  
  
Rory rolled over. "It's too hot to do much of anything."  
  
Following suit, Lorelai turned onto her back. "Got that right. Hey, maybe we can have casual day at the inn tomorrow."  
  
"You're the boss."  
  
"Yeah, everyone could wear their favorite dirty camisole—I bet Michel's got a ton of those—and tattered old shorts…we won't answer the phone. It's just pesky vacationers and honeymooners and such."  
  
"Yeah, what do you need them for?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too, babe. Just don't turn into a rebel on me, huh?"  
  
"I don't know. I've been eyeing Hot Topic in the mall."  
  
Lorelai cocked her head. "Well, be sure to get an eyebrow pierced, at least."  
  
"Oh, sure. Yeah, and the tongue is always good."  
  
"Hmm-hmm. And there's a ton of tattoo parlors in New York."  
  
"Right! We could go there and get custom designs."  
  
"I've always wanted Mel Brooks."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "You say this twice a year."  
  
"But I mean it."  
  
"Fine, then I'm getting Kurt Kobaine."  
  
"You don't like Nirvana," Lorelai pointed out, "therefore defeating the purpose of a Kurt tattoo. And he's dead. Gross."  
  
"Mel will eventually be dead."  
  
"Well, I'll get the year tattooed on there so everyone know I got it when he was alive."  
  
"And you're planning on showing this to…"  
  
Lorelai giggled. "Well, I thought it would make an interesting subject for show and tell at next week's dinner." 


	3. Some Like It Hot

Disclaimer: They're not mine. Yeah, yeah, broken record. (  
  
Author's Note: Well, the same rules still stand. I am happily embedded in my own little universe, free from the pesky confines of time…it's late. Enjoy. Thanks for the reviews.  
  
  
  
1 Part Three: Some Like It Hot  
  
"All right. We'll be back around tomorrow, sometime in the morning. Here's my cell number—"  
  
"Which I've had memorized since the sixth grade," Rory interjected.  
  
"—And the hotel we'll be staying at. Call anytime—"  
  
"Day or night."  
  
"—For anything big or small—"  
  
"Flood or faucet leak."  
  
"—The keg party gone wrong, the coffee supply suddenly disappearing—"  
  
"Lawrence Welk magically reincarnating, I got it."  
  
Lorelai put her hands on her daughter's forearms. "I feel guilty."  
  
"Don't."  
  
"No, I haven't been holding up my end of the Paul and Linda this year. First the spa with grandma, now this—"  
  
"It's just a bachelorette getaway with Sookie, calm down."  
  
"Am I going to be able to finish a sentence—"  
  
"Without me finishing it for you?" Rory guessed impishly. "Nope, don't—"  
  
"Think so," Lorelai shot back. She pulled Rory into a hug. "Love you."  
  
"Love you too," Rory echoed, squeezing her mother tightly. "Have fun with Sookie."  
  
"I will, sweetie."  
  
"Good. You guys deserve it."  
  
There was a loud car exhaust outside. "My chariot," Lorelai said dramatically.  
  
Rory stood up straighter and bowed slightly. "Then you must go, miss."  
  
"Bye, babe," Lorelai called over her shoulder, heading out the door. She ducked her head back in. "Don't forget: no laundry this time. At least one alcoholic drink. An illegal drug of some kind is always good. Ooh! I have an old prescription in my bathroom. I wonder if they're better expired?"  
  
"Bye, Mom." Rory shooed her out the door and stood rooted to the spot until she heard another sputtering of exhaust fumes. For some reason, she couldn't muster the willpower to move. Her feet wouldn't budge from the spot as she thought about what to do over the weekend.  
  
Normally, Dean would spring to her mind and wind her into an internal tizzy of excitement. But for some reason, she had begun to grow more distant from him ever since the end of the school year. Their conversations had waned into that of old friends catching up after months apart. The dates they used to go on—picnics, movies, browsing around town—had become nonexistent. Phone calls, which used to border on religious, now only occurred a couple times a week.  
  
Rory had to face it: she and Dean were going nowhere, and had been on that route for quite a while. Almost as if reading her thoughts, another cough of car sounds announced someone's arrival. Peeking through her curtains, Rory ascertained that it was Dean. In her car. Minus her usual enthusiasm, she went out to meet him. "Hey," she greeted him.  
  
"Hi there." Dean stood back from the car. "I got her fixed. She should be all right now."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
Dean appraised her. "Just something to do with the carburetor."  
  
"What to do with the carburetor?"  
  
With a hand gesture, Dean waved her question off. "Anyway, she's as good as new now."  
  
"Good," Rory answered, irked at Dean's dismissal of her inquiry.  
  
"So, you want to go…see a movie?"  
  
Rory shrugged. "Which movie?"  
  
"Star Wars is out. We haven't seen that yet."  
  
Fleetingly, Rory's face changed into one of disgust. Star Wars? Did Dean know her at all? "Um…maybe another day. I think I have some…school stuff to get caught up on." Dean gave her a funny look. "I have to reorganize all my stuff, inventory what I need."  
  
"It's only July, Rory. School will wait."  
  
"I know. But my mom's gone, and it's always easier without her here. I mean, I can sit down and really concentrate on the task at hand."  
  
"But, can't you do that later? In the afternoon?"  
  
"And I have to call the volunteer places. Schedule times to work. Harvard doesn't let you in on GPA alone."  
  
Dean shook his head, eyebrows bunched. "Well, maybe another time then."  
  
"Thanks for fixing the car."  
  
"No problem." Dean walked slowly away from the house and Rory breathed a sigh of relief. She could hardly believe that she had resorted to lying and babbling her way out of a date with her boyfriend. Mildly repentant, but mostly remorseful, Rory shuffled back into the house. Although Lorelai refused to formally thank Jess, inhabiting her Immature Lorelai persona, she enjoyed to cool house every bit as much as Rory did.  
  
Presently, Rory careened through the rooms of the house, skimming her fingers along edges of tables. In truth, she had already organized her school stuff, two weeks after school let out for the summer. Summer school was looking more and more appealing with every day that passed in boredom, but it was too late to register. Dean had been so put out last year when school had taken all her time, even in the summer; Rory had thought it best to stay home. But now with their relationship going nowhere, she was muy aburrido. She was aburrido enough to say "bored" in Spanish.  
  
Rory's fingers paused on the telephone stand. In a bowl, the keys to the Jeep were waiting to be picked up. Impulsively, she closed her fingers around them and headed out the back door. Tossing a guilty look toward her car, she mounted the step and sat in the driver's seat of the Jeep. Babette waved as Rory backed out, and Rory returned the gesture.  
  
The town stretched out in front of her, and Rory suddenly realized that she had nowhere to go. This realization made her a little nervous. In her seventeen years, she had never driven pointlessly. A frown crossed her face at the stoplight, and she took a right instead of going to Luke's or Doose's.  
  
Now she was cruising on the Interstate, headed toward Hartford. She had the route memorized from her many trips on the bus and Friday night dinners. Still, the back of her throat constricted and dried, partly from the thrill of doing something new, and partly from the fear that Dean would call or come over and see that she was gone.  
  
Rory turned her blinker on and took the exit that lead to downtown Hartford. The streets were packed with young couples and teenagers dawdling their Saturday away. Out of the corner of her eye, Rory saw a sign that read "Spin Round: New and Used Records." She parallel-parked rather ungracefully; Stars Hollow didn't provide a lot of practice in that area. Relieved that the car was unmarred, Rory took the keys out of the ignition and checked the money in her pocket. Assured she had enough, she tumbled out of the Jeep onto the street, crossed in front of it, and stepped up onto the sidewalk.  
  
On her way to "Spin Round," she passed a semi-interesting looking café, an antique shop, and a frilly-looking Hallmark store. The storefront of "Spin Round" was unassuming: the windows were slightly dusty, and there was no display to speak of, just a collection of concert fliers. Rory grinned. This was the kind of shop she'd always loved.  
  
The door opened with a sigh, and Rory adjusted her eyes to the dim light. When she recovered from the light change, she saw the records: racks and stacks and bulging shelves filled to the brim with CD's and LP's, and a few tapes. Like a child on Christmas morning, Rory eagerly began digging through the selection, accumulating CD's as she went. Her eagerness went so far as to prompt her to go down the "Country Artists (A-K)" aisle.  
  
The door opened again and admitted someone, but Rory, like the other customers, didn't take any notice. The new patron caught sight of Rory, however, and grinned. Slowly, taking his time, he browsed through some random racks while he made his way toward Rory. She was consumed in the unfamiliar country aisle, crinkling her brow, not taking heed of her hunter. "Hey."  
  
Rory swallowed a scream and jumped a foot in the air. "Jess. You scared me."  
  
"Fancy seeing you here."  
  
"I like music," Rory replied defensively.  
  
"I know that. You just don't come out here very often." Jess waved his arm around the shop.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I would have seen you out here."  
  
"If we happened to come at the same time," Rory stipulated.  
  
Jess shrugged. "Maybe." He nodded to the CD's in her arms. "What you got?"  
  
Rory looked down at her loot. "Too much."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Uh…MXPX, a Blur album I didn't have, couple Strokes albums, some Smiths stuff…"  
  
"Good choices."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Unfamiliar with the country section?" Jess asked.  
  
"What makes you say that?" Rory asked, switching subjects easily with him.  
  
"New people always have this look about them. Like they don't know if they should be browsing here or not. Like it's a sin to be in the country aisle."  
  
Rory gulped softly. He had just summarized the look on her face perfectly. "Well…I don't listen to it a lot, no."  
  
"Patsy Cline is where to start, then. You haven't heard country until you've heard her."  
  
Rory nodded, assimilating this information. "Right. Patsy Cline." She started rifling through the CD's at the beginning of the aisle, in the C's. Jess searched with her in companionable silence for a long while, with only the slap of plastic on plastic to accompany them.  
  
"Where's Dean?"  
  
Rory stiffened. "I don't know. Home, probably."  
  
Another bout of silence landed on them. "How about your mom?"  
  
"New York with Sookie…why?"  
  
Jess faced her, looking down into her face. "You just don't usually do stuff alone. It's weird to see you alone."  
  
"You saw me alone the other day."  
  
"No, I saw you drink coffee alone the other day. Two completely different concepts."  
  
"I just decided I needed to do something new," Rory finally told him.  
  
"Okay." Jess held out a CD. "This is the one to get. An early one."  
  
Rory accepted the slender case. "Thanks." She stood there and held it for a while. "Well, I've got to narrow the other ones down."  
  
"I'll help. I have the MXPX one, you can borrow it. That Smiths one sucked, get the other. The Strokes will come out with a better one at some point; wait. There. You're narrowed."  
  
Rory blinked. "Okay." She swallowed and remained standing where she was. "Thanks."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"I'm going to go pay for these now."  
  
"Ah, you're one of the sequential people."  
  
"Storeowners like that," Rory informed him.  
  
"Yeah, but being out of sequence sure saves a lot of money."  
  
"You speak like you've had experience." Rory raised her eyebrows, but Jess looked away. "Sorry, none of my business. I'm gonna, uh, go up there now." Embarrassed to the point of combustion, Rory plunked her purchases down on the counter. The total came to just about twelve, and Rory broke the twenty she was carrying. "Thanks," she mumbled to the cashier, and exited the store quickly.  
  
"Hey, wait up." Jess was waiting for her outside. "Do you want to do something else?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"The movie theater has the revival of Some Like It Hot showing."  
  
Rory's eyes lit up before the rational part of her brain could react. Seeing that, Jess smiled a genuine smile. Eventually, Rory's reasonable half kicked in. "I shouldn't." The smile deadened a little. Thinking on her feet, Rory quickly inventoried the people that would care: Dean. And she would just tell him she was out with Lane. "But I will," she blurted out.  
  
Jess' smile re-ignited. "Yeah?"  
  
Rory shrugged good-naturedly. "Yeah. What was that about me giving into my impulses once in a while?"  
  
Jess' smile widened. "Good." He followed her to her car, and she unlocked his door. "Ah, much better than the bus."  
  
"You can say that again." Rory managed to pull out without any major mishaps, but she was a skittish driver. A reflection in her rearview mirror was a car, about to smash into her and obliterate her. A slight movement turned into a pileup behind her. Jess laughed at her quick, twitchy movements and split-second mirror glances. "Man, you took Drivers' Ed really seriously, didn't you?"  
  
Rory didn't look at him, focusing all her concentration on the road. "That's what they have the class for, you know."  
  
"They don't have the class to develop nervous drivers," Jess dissented. "It's supposed to make you more comfortable with the road."  
  
"Not at Chilton," Rory contradicted. "At Chilton, all classes are designed with the intent to terrorize you."  
  
"Park here." Rory yanked the wheel over instantly, and Jess hung onto the door for dear life. "I think you need to repeat the segment about turning."  
  
Rory sunk into her seat sheepishly. "I, uh…my hands slipped?"  
  
"Sure." Jess dismounted, and Rory followed suit, locking the car and catching up to his side. "I take it you like the classics."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Well, the good ones."  
  
"Movies labeled classics tend to be good."  
  
Rory glared. "I mean, the enjoyable ones."  
  
"Ah." Jess paid for his ticket and stepped aside for Rory. He watched her with a ghost of a smile on his face, taking in her sweet innocence.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You were staring."  
  
"I was doing no such thing."  
  
"You were. There was stare-age."  
  
"Get over yourself."  
  
"I saw it!"  
  
Jess opened the door for her. "Right. But you also saw that 'enormous' SUV that turned out to be a moped."  
  
With an indignant huff, Rory said, "The sun blows things out of proportion."  
  
"Well, thank God there wasn't a Mack truck behind us."  
  
"Where do you want to sit?" Rory asked.  
  
Jess surveyed the theater. He fought the urge to say "the back," knowing she would give him her chiding look; thus, he settled on, "The middle."  
  
"Sounds good." Rory carved a path down the aisle and chose an unoccupied row. They were quite early for the movie, and it wasn't nearly filled yet. Jess sunk into a plush seat next to Rory and rested his arm on the armrest. Rory held her ground for a minute, but pulled her arm away when she noticed the contact. "This is a nice theater," Rory observed to fill the void.  
  
"It is," Jess agreed, "if you're into velvet and crown molding."  
  
"Very Tolstoy," Rory acceded.  
  
"Edith Wharton," Jess countered. "Twenties America."  
  
"Nineteenth-century Russia." Rory craned her neck around to take in the theater in its entirety. "No wonder the owner uses this for classics."  
  
"He could make a killing with new releases."  
  
"Everyone has new releases," Rory argued. "This is unique. Special."  
  
Jess didn't say anything, just gazed at her profile with intense eyes. Rory felt his stare and twisted her aching neck toward him. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, fishing for a save. Noting her discomfort, Jess opted to rescue her. "How's Lord of the Flies coming?"  
  
"Uh…well…I don't know. I like the story, but the overall scheme is just now becoming apparent to me."  
  
"The offer about my copy still stands."  
  
"Good to know," Rory said with a nod. "Jess?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why do you hate school so much?" At the blank look she got, Rory rushed to explain. "I mean, you like to read so much, and I know you're smart, but it doesn't seem like you really take an interest in school."  
  
"Not everyone can be like you."  
  
"Any interest," Rory forged on, ignoring his comment. "I mean, I would think that you would love a class like English or Literature."  
  
"A book loses its charm when it's assigned."  
  
"It's the same book."  
  
"Yeah, the words are. There's something about reading voluntarily that appeals to me more than reading under duress."  
  
Rory shifted her weight to her right hip to better talk to him. "Luke mentioned you were having some trouble."  
  
Jess' eyes darkened a little. "He told you about that?" His voice had become husky with anger.  
  
"Well…no. But he told my mom, and she told me…" Rory frowned with realization. "I wasn't supposed to know?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
The simple question threw Jess, and he paused in thought. "No reason."  
  
"Come on. You spent all this time concealing it from me. There has to be a reason," Rory pushed.  
  
"I just don't want everyone knowing."  
  
Rory pulled back in doubt. "I thought you didn't care what people thought."  
  
"You're not 'people'," Jess told her bluntly.  
  
The words penetrated Rory slowly. Jess' eyes bore into hers, and all she could muster was, "Oh." She was unable to rip her eyes from his, so she just let herself stare back at him. He turned away after a little bit, and Rory mimicked his actions. The theater filled with a steady trickle of people, most of them middle-aged, on an afternoon away from the kids with their husband or wife. It darkened. "It's starting," Rory whispered unnecessarily.  
  
"Now I can see how you get those good grades."  
  
Rory let her back fall against the seatback and settled in to watch the movie.  
  
*  
  
It was close to eight when they arrived back in Stars Hollow. "You're sure Luke won't be mad?" Rory reiterated.  
  
"About you corrupting me? I don't think so," Jess answered. "I told him I'd be gone all day. He'll be ebullient at the thought that I spent it with someone so wholesome."  
  
Rory laughed a little, maneuvering the Jeep through Stars Hollow's streets. "He gave you the entire day off? On a Saturday?"  
  
"He does it sometimes. I haven't caused any glaringly obvious trouble lately."  
  
"True. No more chalk outlines. No more disappearing gnomes."  
  
"Let me guess…you heard it from you mom, who heard it from Miss Patty, who heard it from Taylor—"  
  
"Nope. I heard it from Babette. Our next door neighbor, remember? Although I noticed their absence before she told us."  
  
"Ah. So you're higher on the gossip chain than I thought."  
  
Rory pulled to a stop in front of Luke's, which was emptying. "Well, here we are."  
  
"He we are," Jess echoed. "You want to come in for some coffee?"  
  
Rory tilted her head. "You're offering me coffee?"  
  
"It has been known to happen."  
  
Rory shrugged. "I just thought you'd be frightened after watching the incredible amounts ingested in Hartford."  
  
"Nah. I've seen worse."  
  
"Where?" Rory demanded.  
  
"Your mother."  
  
Sighing in defeat, Rory killed the engine and reached for her door handle. "I haven't been able to live up to her greatness yet."  
  
"Yet?" Jess smiled as he slammed his door shut after him. Rory came up to his side.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, I have years. I got a head start."  
  
Jess opened the door for her. Blushing, Rory ducked under his arm. Luke looked up when they entered. "Sit." Rory selected her usual bar stool, and to her surprise, Luke plunked a cup of coffee down in front of her. "Don't tell your mother," he told her with a tiny smile. Rory smiled and brought the cup up to her mouth. "Have a good day?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Rode the ponies at the petting zoo," Jess contributed.  
  
"That better not be a euphemism," Luke said. Jess just looked at him innocently, causing Luke to shake his head. He went back into the kitchen and returned with two pieces of pie. "Eat up," he told them sternly. Rory cut into hers with gusto.  
  
"How is that possible? You eat more than I do." Jess shook his head in dismay.  
  
"It comes from years of training," Rory informed him haughtily.  
  
"Of course."  
  
Luke went about wiping the tables, listening to the idle chatter between Rory and Jess, smiling to himself. The last customer waved goodbye and disappeared into the night. Luke shut the door and locked it. "I'm gonna turn all the diner lights off. I'll leave the kitchen ones on for you guys." Luke flicked the switches. "Clean up when you're done, Jess."  
  
"Nighty-night," Jess responded. Luke mounted the steps up to the renovated office. "Good pie?"  
  
"Is there another kind?"  
  
"Yeah. There's the gross kind in Doose's that's sat on the shelf in their wax packages for a couple of weeks…"  
  
"I wouldn't be bad-talking your neighbor, mister. Kirk could have planted another bug, and this will get out…then what will people think of you?"  
  
"Can't be worse than it already is," Jess reasoned.  
  
Rory finished her pie with a flourish. "Luke should go into business."  
  
"Funny, he had that same thought about fifteen years ago."  
  
Rory glared at him. "You know what I mean. A pastry business. He could package this stuff and sell it to supermarkets."  
  
"Doesn't that sound like a Fortune 500 company."  
  
Rory grinned. A silence washed over them, a comfortable one. As they sat, Rory couldn't recall ever having one like it with Dean, and the thought made her sad. "I had fun today."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"I guess you were right."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I did need to give into my impulses."  
  
Jess looked up at her. In the half-light of the kitchen fluorescence, Jess' eyes glittered dimly. He stood up to start collecting their plates, dipping toward her in the process. Rory didn't know what came over her, but she felt her hand rise. It wrapped around the back of Jess' neck and forced his lips onto hers.  
  
Jess almost sat down in shock. For a split second, he forgot how to kiss. It came flying back to him, and he cupped Rory's cheek, caressing her lips with his. After a short while, Rory backed away, dazed, lips spread and swollen with the kiss. Jess blinked, speechless and stunned. With her lips still centimeters from his, he couldn't resist: he pulled her toward him again. Her lips were pliant under his again, willing and soft. Moving forward, he planted himself between her legs, spread on the barstool. Involuntarily, his hands tangled in her chestnut hair, surrounding his fingers.  
  
When the kiss broke, Rory exhaled a shallow breath. She turned her head to the window, trying to clear her mind, trying to free herself from Jess' gaze. What she saw nearly paralyzed her: Dean, standing by the window, his face contorted in rage. "Oh my God," Rory murmured.  
  
Jess looked at the place she was focused on. Dean was staring at him with a hatred Jess was accustomed to.  
  
"I have to go," Rory said, disentangling herself from Jess' hands. She looked at him, at a loss for words. He had nothing to contribute, for once completely wordless. "I—" She left. 


	4. Commitment Phobia

Author's Note: Okay, I haven't had a lot of time to re-read this part, so it might be a little weird. Thanks a lot for all the reviews.  
  
Disclaimer: Let me think…nope, I don't think they're mine.  
  
  
  
1 Part Four: Commitment Phobia  
  
Rory awoke with a start on Sunday morning. She had been in the midst of an awful dream. In the dream, Dean had stumbled on her kissing Jess, resulting in a fight for the ages in which he broke up with her. Groggily, Rory vaguely put the events of Saturday night together, putting bits and pieces in a jagged sequence. In a flood of memories, she remembered it all, and it hadn't been a dream. She groaned and buried her head in her pillow.  
  
By smelling the fibers of her pillow, she tried to recapture the delusion that it was a dream, but nothing came. Her mind was whirring, and she was recalling everything. The feel of Jess' lips on hers, tender and oddly sweet. The look on Dean's face, enraged and betrayed. The sound of Luke's door as it crashed into its frame after her, the twinge of regret that followed. The harsh words exchanged between her and Dean. The yelling, the tears, the sound of him breaking up with her: "I can't be with you—won't be with you—if I can't trust you!"  
  
Frustrated with her attempts at recreating dreamland, Rory impelled herself out of bed and into the kitchen. She briefly weighed going to Luke's for coffee, but several parts of her brain reminded her that it wasn't a wise idea. With an efficient routine, Rory moved about the kitchen and brewed some coffee. Instinctively, she put a Pop-Tart in the toaster before remembering that she wasn't making her mother breakfast. At last, she plopped in a chair dejectedly and munched on the pastry.  
  
How she wished she hadn't done that. It wasn't that she was exactly depressed over her and Dean's inevitable breakup, she just regretted the circumstances. The breakup was bound to happen, she knew. But like this? With her the culprit? It made her head spin. Where had her formerly loyal conscience gone?  
  
And Jess. What would she do about Jess? It would be awkward whenever she went into Luke's now. She would starve, perish from a lack of steady beef and fries. Rory plunked her head in her hands in defeat. She noted to herself that she should never listen to Jess' advice. Her impulses had gotten her nowhere today.  
  
Someone jiggled the back knob, then knocked upon finding it locked. Curious, Rory rose from her chair and opened the door. "Lane," she said, breathing a sigh of utter relief.  
  
"Hi," Lane returned, gently pushing past Rory.  
  
"Bible group?"  
  
"Yeah. I can't wait to see what color they've come up with for matchbook Bibles this week."  
  
"Maybe a nice cream color."  
  
"You're two weeks behind the trends."  
  
"Just goes to show that uniforms don't lend insight into the color scheme of society."  
  
"What?" Lane asked, baffled.  
  
"I don't know," Rory moaned. "God."  
  
"What? What happened?"  
  
"You didn't hear?"  
  
"No…"  
  
"Have you been in town at all this morning? What time is it?"  
  
Lane glanced at her watch. "No. Ten."  
  
"Dean and I broke up."  
  
"I thought you were anticipating this."  
  
"It gets worse."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Rory sighed. "Don't tell Lorelai. I'll tell her when the time's right."  
  
"Okay…"  
  
"I kissed Jess."  
  
"What!"  
  
"Yeah. In Luke's. Dean was looking in the window, and he saw us, and we had this big fight and broke up."  
  
Lane sat down to digest this information. "You kissed Jess?"  
  
"Yeah," Rory admitted. She was met with a blank stare. "What?"  
  
Lane looked nonplussed. "You just don't do stuff like that."  
  
"I know." Rory massaged her temples with her fingers. She and Lane sat in a quietus, Lane's incredulous, Rory's miserable.  
  
"I can't believe it. Jess?"  
  
"What's wrong with Jess?"  
  
"Rory, he's just so…Jess." Lane gesticulated wildly, but couldn't find the right word or hand gesture.  
  
"Why is everybody so opposed to him?"  
  
"Look, I know you two are chummy, but you have to admit that he hasn't exactly made an effort to fit in or make friends."  
  
"He doesn't need friends. He's all right by himself."  
  
Lane shook her head. "Everybody needs friends. My mother has friends. Granted, they talk about the Bible and the scandalous behavior of Stars' Hollow's citizens, but…she has friends. And she is the least agreeable person on this planet."  
  
Rory just sighed heavily. Lane sympathetically stroked Rory's hair. "Why did I do it?"  
  
"I think you ought to ask your Last Night Self that question."  
  
"Am I bi-polar?"  
  
"Possibly."  
  
"Maybe schizophrenic. Although there have been a suspicious lack of voices inside my head."  
  
"You could have used them last night."  
  
"God."  
  
Another silence descended on them, and they rode it out in camaraderie. "So…"  
  
"So what?" Rory asked.  
  
"Was it good?"  
  
"Was what good?"  
  
"The kiss!"  
  
Rory bit her lip. "Yeah."  
  
"Better than Dean."  
  
"By a long-shot." Rory grinned despite herself.  
  
Lane giggled. "I'm just glad you're not as depressed as last time. But you do realize that when this gets around town…"  
  
"It'll be the next Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. Yeah, I know."  
  
With another flick of the wrist, Lane assessed her watch. "I gotta get back. It was a short meeting last week, and I just barely made it back."  
  
"Okay. Don't spread any rumors, huh?"  
  
"Only the good ones." Lane waved over her shoulder and let herself out the back door.  
  
Having finished her breakfast, Rory wandered into the living room. Even though her brain was overloaded, Rory chose to finish her novel; she would probably have to read it at some point in British Literature next year, so she might as well get a head start. Claiming an end of the sofa, Rory snuggled up with The Lord of the Flies.  
  
*  
  
Lorelai swung the door of Sookie's banged-up car shut after herself and jogged up the porch steps. "I'm home," she announced loudly upon entering. Her duffel bag was discarded about ten feet from the door. She shed her sunglasses inches later, and her shoes were subjected to the same fate at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, kid," she said, continuing on to the couch.  
  
"Hi, Mom. Good weekend?"  
  
"Those New Yorkers sure are crazy."  
  
"I'm sure they thought the same thing about you."  
  
Lorelai shook her head vehemently. "No, no. This man in a coffee shop was trying to convince me that a triple-shot of caffeine was enough. And I was like, 'Um, no, dude. That's for the minor leaguers.' And he was all, 'Well, miss, this is the strongest coffee we make.' And I was like, 'Well, you should rethink that.' And he went, 'No customer will buy that crap!' And I said—"  
  
"Okay, I get the idea," Rory interrupted, laughing. "So, did you go to Luke's on your way back into town?" she queried anxiously.  
  
"No. I was waiting to take you, silly." Lorelai captured her daughter's hand in her own. "Come on, lazy!"  
  
"Mom, no." Rory struggled to regain ownership of her hand. "No."  
  
"Why not? Don't you start denying me caffeine."  
  
"It's not that." Rory sat down, and nodded for her mother to do the same. Brows drawn, Lorelai seated herself next to her daughter. "Um…"  
  
"Did something happen?"  
  
"Yeah. Well. Uh…IkissedJesslastnight," Rory spat out.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You…kissed Jess? You kissed him or he kissed you?"  
  
"I kissed him."  
  
"Why?" Lorelai asked incredulously. "Wh…?"  
  
"I don't know. It just happened. And Dean was walking by and he saw us and we broke up." Rory let herself take a breath.  
  
Lorelai looked vaguely angry. "Why would you kiss him?"  
  
"I told you, I don't know! It was just the moment or something."  
  
"Why were you at Luke's?"  
  
Rory gave her mother a funny look. "Why do you think I was at Luke's?"  
  
"Well, did you go there to eat, or to see Jess?"  
  
Rory huffed. "I…" she faltered. Did she dare tell her mother the real reason? "I spent the day with him in Hartford."  
  
Silence.  
  
Silence.  
  
More silence.  
  
"Oh," Lorelai finally said. "Oh." Slowly, she got up and walked into the kitchen. Rory heard water running in the sink and followed.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"You spent the day with that guy?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I can't believe it!"  
  
"It was totally innocent! We browsed through a CD shop, saw a movie, had coffee. That was it."  
  
"I don't like him!"  
  
"I heard!" Rory crossed her arms and frowned deeply.  
  
"I can't understand why you—you of all people—would do something like this." Lorelai shook her head, vigorously scrubbing a water glass. "I mean, me, yeah, but you, no."  
  
"I was just having fun."  
  
"With Jess."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Lorelai sighed raggedly. "I never thought I'd have to do this with you."  
  
"Then don't. Mom, we didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Rory…"  
  
"I don't know why you're so mad about this. I mean, I know you don't like him. But nothing happened. It was my choice to kiss him. It was my boyfriend that broke up with me."  
  
Lorelai sat at the table. "I know, honey. I'm sorry. It's just…it's not like you, and I'm afraid that Jess caused that change."  
  
"Need I remind you that I kissed Tristan?"  
  
"Not just the kiss. And you were broken up then, remember? But spending the day in Hartford and not telling Dean, or not being with Dean."  
  
"Mom, Dean and I changed. We used to be equal and interested in the same stuff, but now it's—it hadn't been—like it used to."  
  
Lorelai smiled wanly at her daughter. "You're okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"I'm sorry again. I don't want you to be corrupted by Jess, or to turn into me. The world's biggest commitment-phoebe."  
  
"I won't. I was with Dean for a long time, though."  
  
"True." Lorelai smiled genuinely, if a bit sadly, at her daughter. "So I guess Luke's is out, huh?"  
  
"For today, at least. I don't know what to say."  
  
"Well, how did the kiss transpire?"  
  
Rory blushed. "I just sort of…grabbed him."  
  
Lorelai chuckled. "Now that was certainly very forward of you, missy. I expect much more decorous behavior from you."  
  
Rory giggled in return. "I don't know what came over me."  
  
"I'll go to Luke's," Lorelai offered. "I'll get some coffee and food to go. You won't have to face the townspeople or Jess or anyone."  
  
"Nice. But I doubt whether there will be any coffee left when you get here."  
  
"Now then." Lorelai started backtracking to the door and snatched her keys off the table where Rory had left them. "I'll be back," she said dramatically.  
  
Smiling, Rory went back to the kitchen. She felt a little drained after the fight with Lorelai. Lorelai was so sensitive about Jess, and Rory wished that she could make her mother see him the way she did. When Rory thought of him, she didn't see the causeless rebel that Lorelai did; she saw someone almost sweet, but with an edge. Swinging her head back and forth, Rory went into her room to get dressed. 


	5. Only the Lonely

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews. Just to let you know, the rating may change later (like, much later), but I'm still making up my mind. And yes, this fic is named after the Joni Mitchell song, one of my all-time favorites.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't sue. I'm but a poor student!  
  
1 Part Five: Only the Lonely  
  
There was no way around it. Any which way she ran, it was always waiting. No matter which direction she looked at it from, it was perpetually the same. It was absolutely unavoidable. Rory would have to go into Luke's at some point.  
  
She picked the Monday after they had kissed for two main reasons. One, Lorelai couldn't go and fetch coffee and food since she was at work, and two because Rory wanted to get it over with. Trouble was, she had no clue what to say. She was relying on Jess to start the discussion and pull her through.  
  
With a grave feeling of dread festering in the pit of her stomach, Rory pushed the door to Luke's open. Jess was wiping the tables and looked up when she came in. Because she had intentionally come at a busy time, Jess couldn't stop whatever he was doing and talk to her. Luke banged some food down on the counter, and Jess laid his cloth down and retrieved it.  
  
The barstool she had kissed Jess on was open, but Rory decided against it, opting for a table by the window instead. Instantly, she heard a shuffle and Jess was seated across from her. "Hey," he said.  
  
"Hi," Rory answered nervously.  
  
Jess appraised her, trying to assess how upset she was. "You okay?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Fine." Rory nodded dumbly.  
  
Luke peered out from the kitchen and saw that Jess was talking to Rory, and he nudged Caesar. "Take this out." Confused, Caesar took the plate of food out, throwing Jess a disgruntled look.  
  
Taking another look at Rory, Jess decided that it might be best to just gloss over the issue. "Finished The Lord of the Flies yet?"  
  
Rory blinked. "What? Yeah. Yesterday, I finished it yesterday."  
  
"Did you get the deep meaning?"  
  
"Kind of. I'm still thinking about it. I mean, there are so many levels. Especially Simon, he's complex," Rory yammered.  
  
"Yeah, he is." Dean wafted between them. Neither wanted to mention him, but neither wanted to ignore him either. Finally Jess commented, "You broke up with Dean."  
  
"I did," Rory confirmed quietly. She reddened and looked out the window.  
  
"You all right?"  
  
Surprised, Rory looked back at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"You just seem kind of delicate."  
  
"Delicate? I am not delicate," Rory declared vehemently.  
  
Holding his hands up in surrender, Jess said, "Okay, okay. Jeez. Calm down."  
  
A little abashed at the harsh tone she had stated her last comment in, Rory backtracked a little. "It wasn't pretty," she admitted.  
  
"Dean seems to have a few anger problems."  
  
"No, he's just very…possessive." Rory wrinkled her nose, trying to think of a better word to describe Dean.  
  
"I see. So, what do you want?"  
  
"What?" Rory's eyes widened.  
  
"To eat. What do you want to eat?"  
  
"Right. Uh, burger and fries."  
  
"Something new and exciting."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I like to mix it up sometimes."  
  
"Sounds like a bad pop song if I ever heard one." Jess slid out of the chair and yelled her order to Luke, who handed him three plates of food in return.  
  
By the time Rory had finished eating, the diner had cleared out. Lunch had come and gone, and now everyone was back to work. Jess stepped around the diner, wiping tables and collecting plates. Luke was in the kitchen, cleaning pans and helping Caesar wash dishes. Rory shoved her plate toward the edge of the table and left her money next to it. She got up and left quietly, making brief eye contact with Jess before hurrying out the door.  
  
The second she left, Jess discarded his rag and put a heap of dishes on the front counter, then went upstairs to his room. Luke saw him leave, and told Caesar to take over for a while. He followed Jess through the curtain and up the slim staircase. The apartment, newly renovated, was silent. "Jess?" Luke called, approaching his room. "Jess?" he asked again with a knock.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Jess was lying on his bed, facing the ceiling, smoking a cigarette. "I thought you quit."  
  
"I did."  
  
"Oh." Luke sat on the end. "Everything okay?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You just seem more sullen than usual."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"So, is anything wrong?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It started on Saturday. What happened?"  
  
"Nothin'."  
  
"You were with Rory all day. Did something happen between you two?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Luke sighed. "Come on."  
  
"You told Lorelai about school. I'm not going to confide in you."  
  
"You didn't confide in me about school. I asked Lorelai for advice." Luke took a deep breath. "You like her?"  
  
"Lorelai? No, I'm not really into that Oedipus stuff."  
  
"Rory. You like Rory."  
  
Jess shrugged and put his cigarette out. "Only normal person in this crazy town."  
  
"She's good for you." Jess snorted. "You think that's funny? You could use someone like Rory in your life."  
  
"Like that's ever going to happen."  
  
"Why not?" Luke looked at his nephew and saw something he hadn't before in his face. He looked sad, a little regretful. "Oh. Rory's a great girl, Jess."  
  
"And?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's always an 'and.' Something to the effect of, 'Don't screw her up,' or, 'You're no good for her.'"  
  
"I never said that." Jess didn't say anything, just kept on staring at the ceiling. "Look, I don't know what to do about girls. You like her? Great, I'm happy. Maybe she can knock some sense into you." Luke rose and started to leave the room.  
  
"Uncle Luke?"  
  
He paused and turned to Jess, who was partially vertical. "What?"  
  
"Do you think she'd…you know…?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe. She's inexperienced, Jess." Luke gave his nephew a gently warning glance.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, well. You need to be back down in an hour. Pre-dinner rush."  
  
Jess nodded, and Luke left, shutting the door softly behind him.  
  
With a sigh, the door closed behind Rory. The house was devoid of sound, unusual for the Gilmore house. Without Lorelai's constant pattering it seemed lifeless and emptier than it should. Rory reached for the phone and decided to call Dean, but remembered that she couldn't now. Lane was at summer Bible camp at the insistence of her mother.  
  
Twirling the phone in her hands, Rory meandered to the living room. Her library books were on a stack on the coffee table, but she'd read all of them. Mentally, she imagined all the books in her room, all of which looked equally unattractive. A wave of loneliness washed over Rory and she sat on the couch. This feeling of solitude was becoming more and more frequent, and Rory wished she could dispel it.  
  
She turned the phone to her. Twisting her mouth in thought, she decided to go for it. Her fingers dialed the number thoughtlessly, and suddenly, the other end was ringing. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Jess. It's Rory."  
  
Jess sat up all the way and smiled to himself. "Hey."  
  
"I just called to…"  
  
"Is there an end to that sentence, or am I supposed to guess?"  
  
"I can call back if you're busy," Rory offered. She was more nervous than the first time she had called him last winter. Sweat coated her palms and made it hard to hold onto the phone.  
  
"No, now's fine." There was a pause. "I'm glad you called."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah. I was worried you were mad."  
  
"No, not at all. Why would I be?"  
  
"You know, Saturday."  
  
"No, that was my fault," Rory said.  
  
"Did you like it?"  
  
Rory almost fell off the couch. "What?"  
  
"Did you like it?"  
  
"The pie? Yeah."  
  
Jess chuckled. "You did, you liked it."  
  
"Yeah, the pie was perfect. Especially the crust. Light. Fluffy."  
  
"Right." Jess grinned in his room, smiling as he thought of Rory. He could envision her hunting for a diversion, searching for something to get the conversation going her way. "How's the air conditioner?"  
  
"Still working, thank God."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Where did you learn to fix stuff?"  
  
"Home."  
  
"Duh. Is that what you want to do?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"When you get out of high school."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Well, what else were you planning to do?"  
  
"Something."  
  
"'Maybe, something,'" Rory mocked. "Boy, your counselors love you, don't they?"  
  
"Counselors are full of crap."  
  
"But at least they have a job."  
  
"I'll have a job."  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Why do you care?" Jess inquired.  
  
"I…well, I don't want to see you go to waste, that's all."  
  
"'Go to waste?'"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You know, you can't save everybody."  
  
"I'm not trying to."  
  
"But I do admire your enthusiasm."  
  
"Thanks," Rory said proudly.  
  
Jess leaned against the headboard. "What's next on the Rory Gilmore Reading List? Hey, you know, I bet we could get the bookstore to put a picture of you in their window. 'Behind the Cover with Rory Gilmore.'"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"No, I'm serious. They could have a big book and your reading list printed on it."  
  
"Jess…"  
  
"You better get on that. I'm sure it would look great on a Harvard application."  
  
"I'm sure they'd be itching to accept me."  
  
"Why did you call?"  
  
"You need to work on transitioning."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was lonely," Rory confessed before she could think up a reply that sounded less pathetic.  
  
"And you called me?"  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"Instead of Lane?"  
  
"Bible camp."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"'Oh' what?"  
  
"Nothing," Jess said smugly.  
  
"Jess, come on."  
  
"I'm just surprised."  
  
"Well, don't be."  
  
"So, you never answered my question."  
  
"I didn't?"  
  
"Nope. What is on the Rory Gilmore Reading List?"  
  
With a smile dancing in her eyes, Rory reclined against the back of the couch and put her feet up. "Any recommendations?"  
  
"Too many to name."  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Read any Chaucer?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Dickins?"  
  
"Of course, Dodger."  
  
"Vonnegut?"  
  
A pause. "Nope."  
  
"Well, there you go. You have to read Slaughterhouse Five."  
  
"I'll get right on that," Rory assured him. "Hey, Jess?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome." 


	6. Trouble Me

Author's Note: I'm trying to update regularly, so I hope I don't have some sort of writer's block. School's getting out soon, though, so I'll have more time to write. Anyway, part six. The title is from the Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs song.  
  
Disclaimer: I can't even say the title is mine.  
  
  
  
1 Part Six: Trouble Me  
  
Rory woke up at ten-thirty the next morning to the sound of movement in the kitchen. Groggily, she pulled herself out of bed and, in her shorts and tank top, with tousled hair, she pulled her door open. Blinking twice, she stared into the kitchen. Jess was arranging breakfast on the table. "What time is it?" Rory asked, voice scratchy from sleepiness.  
  
"Ten-thirty," Jess answered.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Isn't it kind of obvious?"  
  
Rory shuffled into the kitchen and sat on a chair, taking a coffee. "Why?"  
  
Jess shrugged. "Thought you might like some breakfast."  
  
"Oh." Rory took a healthy swig of coffee. She watched him work, silently and methodically putting food on plates. He finally sat down and waited. "What?"  
  
"Gonna eat?"  
  
"Yeah." Rory picked up her fork and started shoveling food into her mouth, noticing how hungry she was. Jess followed her lead, but mainly watched her eat. "Don't watch me eat."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's gross." Rory snatched a napkin and covered her mouth.  
  
"It's not gross."  
  
"It's side-show worthy." Rory gazed at Jess, trying to get him to look away, but he just held her gaze, staring at her calmly. "Fine. Whatever. Lose your breakfast, see if I care." Rory resumed eating, packing food into her mouth. Grinning, Jess picked up his utensil as well.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they were stuffed. Rory rose and started picking up dishes, but Jess swatted her hand away. "Nope."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You can't clean up."  
  
"It's my house," Rory retorted indignantly.  
  
"Tough. Go sit."  
  
Reluctantly, Rory regressed to the living room and plopped on the couch. She listened to the sound of Jess rinsing plates and stacking them in the dishwasher. For the first time since waking up, she bothered to look at what she was wearing and almost groaned in humiliation. Her shorts were old and tattered and short, and her camisole was in much the same shape. In these clothes, she felt oddly bare. A sound broke through the silence of the living room, and Jess joined her on the couch. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem." Jess extended his legs and rested his feet on the coffee table. "Anything you want to do?"  
  
Rory looked over at him. "No, not really."  
  
"Not even a movie?"  
  
Pausing, Rory considered. "Depends."  
  
"On the movie?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Jess got back up and returned to the kitchen. He dug to the bottom of the takeout bag and retrieved Young Frankenstein. "How about this?" He held up the case, and Rory broke into a grin.  
  
"Mel Brooks!" she exclaimed, unable to contain her fervor. "My mother always says she's going to get him tattooed on her butt."  
  
Jess raised his eyebrows. "She serious?"  
  
Rory shook her head. "She says it a couple times a year, every year. So far, no Mel as far as I know."  
  
With the tape plugged in, Jess sat down next to her again. "Here we go."  
  
"It's Frankenschtien," Rory corrected him loftily, and Jess grinned. The movie sputtered a little, then came into focus. The black and white did little to cast shadows over the fairly bright room, leaving Jess free to watch Rory without interference.  
  
*  
  
Two hours later, the movie had come to an end, but Rory and Jess were still arguing.  
  
"How can you not like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?" Rory asked incredulously.  
  
"How can you not like Memento?"  
  
"Memento is a confusing movie!"  
  
"Willy Wonka is a children's movie!"  
  
"Well, I am deeply connected to my inner child," Rory challenged.  
  
"Oh, obviously, now I see it."  
  
Rory laughed and slapped at him. Jess chuckled and moved away from her hands. In retaliation, he started tickling her. "No, no stop!" Rory cried, laughing desperately. Jess kept on tickling her, and Rory kept on thrashing until they fell off the couch and ended in a heap on the floor, with Jess hovering just above Rory. They stopped and looked at each other.  
  
Rory could feel the heat coming off of Jess and felt the irresistible urge to kiss him again. She knew she shouldn't and she vowed not to make another move. Therefore, she lay there under him, biting her lip with one part invitation and the other part caution. As slowly as possible, Jess leaned forward. He dipped closer and closer until his lips were barely brushing hers. As he moved in to thoroughly kiss her, the door opened and shut.  
  
They started and moved apart and quickly as possible. Lorelai was standing in the living room and stepped backward in surprise, hitting the table. "Oh my God," she said loudly.  
  
"Hi, Mom," Rory said, smoothing her tank down. "You're home."  
  
"Yeah. I came home for my lunch break, I forgot the, uh, the…menu I was editing for Sookie," Lorelai floundered, blinking hard and looking around, anywhere but Jess and her daughter. "What are you doing here?" she asked Jess harshly.  
  
"Leaving," Jess said, impelling himself toward the kitchen.  
  
"Not so fast." Lorelai grabbed his arm. "What were you doing here before?"  
  
"Mom, we were just—"  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Rory. Jess?"  
  
"We were watching a movie."  
  
"Oh, isn't that nice," Lorelai said coldly. She released Jess' arm with a yank. "Go. Out!" Jess continued into the kitchen and left through the back door, slamming it behind him. Lorelai shot a venomous look in Rory's direction and marched into the kitchen. "Where is the coffee?" She banged around, not really looking for anything, but just for something to slam.  
  
"Mom, it was—"  
  
"Innocent! Nothing with him is innocent!"  
  
"How do you know?" Rory cried, angered.  
  
"I know kids like him—"  
  
"Kids like him, but not him!"  
  
"So what? They're all the same, Rory."  
  
"So not true."  
  
Lorelai spun around and faced Rory. "Why would you let him in?"  
  
"He's my friend!"  
  
"That didn't look like friends."  
  
"Well, it was."  
  
"Definition's changed, I guess," Lorelai said frigidly.  
  
"I guess so," Rory replied just as icily.  
  
"Are you sleeping with him?"  
  
The question hit Rory like a bus and she backed up from the force of it. "What?"  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"Mom, that is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"Yeah, really."  
  
"I don't know, Rory. You're changing." Lorelai threw a filter in the coffeepot and filled it with grounds. She poured the water in and hit the button with force. "When I can't trust you, I don't know what you're doing."  
  
"Oh, so now you can't trust me?"  
  
"You knew I didn't like him, and you let him in anyway."  
  
"You never told me I couldn't!"  
  
"It was a tacit agreement!"  
  
"That is such crap! You're just trying to control me."  
  
"Are you accusing me of turning into my mother?" Rory just shrugged. Lorelai's mouth set angrily. "How dare you?"  
  
"That's what it looks like to me!"  
  
"Oh, does it? You have no idea what it was like to grow up in a crushing environment."  
  
"Look, Grandma didn't trust you and now you don't trust me. It was innocuous!"  
  
"I can't trust your judgment anymore, Rory. Jess is going to screw you up."  
  
"Oh, you're one to talk about judgment!"  
  
"It was my judgment that got you born, so don't take the high road on me! You're going to turn out just like me if you keep doing what you're doing."  
  
"I'm not that stupid!"  
  
"Get out!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Get out!" Lorelai shrieked again. "I won't listen to that!"  
  
"Why should I have to leave? You have work."  
  
"I have given up everything for you, even though I never planned it. I bypassed college and a lot of other opportunities to raise you, and if you can't respect that, I don't want to talk to you right now!"  
  
"I'm sorry I put such a crimp in your lifestyle," Rory shot back and left through the back door, shaking the house when she shut it behind her. Lorelai sat at the table and put her head in her hands. The coffeepot gurgled in the background while Lorelai sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently.  
  
Rory walked quickly down the streets of Stars Hollow, fuming. Her mother had never pulled anything like that, not over something completely harmless. Rory felt a tear of guilt stream down her face. There was a pain in her chest, her heavy guilt. With a flick of her hand, she swiped the tear off her face and forged ahead with her head held high, hoping that the slight breeze would dry her eyes.  
  
About ten minutes away from her house, she paused. Where was she going? Looking to her left and right, she decided she'd head to the park and sit there for awhile. Everyone else was in town, at work. There would be no one there to bother her. With a sad step, Rory kicked a pebble down the path to the park.  
  
It was dark and shady in the foliage-rife park, and Rory gravitated toward the bridge. She halted when she got to the end. There was a figure in the middle, his feet dangling off the end, skimming the water with bare feet. His shoes were strewn off to the side. Deciding she needed to see someone, she continued on forward. "Hi," she whispered, unable to speak any louder past the lump in her throat.  
  
He looked startled. "Hey." Jess looked at her with a sympathetic gaze.  
  
Rory looked back at him, then grabbed his hand and clutched it in hers. She felt a tear drip from her eye and fall down her cheek. Jess gently took his hand out of hers, wrapped it around her back, and replaced it with the other. Not able to resist, Rory began crying in earnest, her face covered in a mist of tears. He turned her into his chest and rested his head on top of hers, holding her form while she shook gently.  
  
After an eternity, Rory pulled away. Jess' shirt was stained with her sadness, and Rory frowned. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be sorry."  
  
As Jess sat there looking at her, Rory became embarrassed, and she started to stand. "I better go."  
  
Jess pulled her down. "Go where? Sit here a while," he invited.  
  
Gnawing her lip, Rory pondered this offer. "Okay." She carried on her sitting pose and leaned against Jess once again.  
  
"Was it bad?" Jess asked unnecessarily.  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to cause anything like that."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I always screw things up," Jess commented bitterly. "And I was so determined not to mess this up." He shook his head, and Rory felt it in her hair.  
  
"You were?"  
  
"Yeah," Jess affirmed. The simple word carried more than it seemed to, and Rory let her full weight rest against him. He tightened his hold on her and sighed into her silky hair. "I didn't want to make your mother mad."  
  
"I know." Rory breathed deep, even breaths for a while. "It was just as much my fault as it was yours."  
  
"No, I'm the one who came over."  
  
"I didn't chase you away."  
  
Jess laughed harshly. "Like I would have gone."  
  
Rory let the silence waft over them for a long time, just sat there and breathed in tandem with Jess. "I'm glad you came here."  
  
Pulling away, Jess searched her eyes. "You mean that?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You might be the only person."  
  
"So?"  
  
Jess grinned and took hold of her again. "Is your mom going to get mad if you don't come back for a while?"  
  
A sharp, humorless giggle escaped Rory. "She kicked me out."  
  
"You're serious?"  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"God, it must have been bad. You two are like Thelma and Louise."  
  
"My mom is stubborn sometimes."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Is Luke going to be mad if you don't come back?"  
  
"Day off. I think. What day is it?"  
  
"Tuesday."  
  
"That's my day off then."  
  
"Good." Rory sat up and carefully removed her shoes. She set them next to Jess' and dangled her feet into the water. "Feels good."  
  
"It does."  
  
"How many weeks of summer do we have left?"  
  
"Search me."  
  
Squinting off into the distance, Rory guessed, "Five?"  
  
"About."  
  
"I don't want to go back."  
  
"I thought you loved school." Jess rotated to face her completely and stretched his legs out. Rory crossed hers between his.  
  
"I guess. It's a diversion."  
  
"You're going to Harvard."  
  
"That's what everybody expects," Rory said with a hint of sadness. "I can't let everyone down."  
  
"Have you ever thought of doing something for yourself?"  
  
"Oh, a few times. But I just can't disappoint so many people."  
  
Jess turned his focus away from her and peered into the skyline she had been looking at. "This town is nuts," he said.  
  
"It grows on you."  
  
"Not yet."  
  
Rory mused for a moment, pressing her lips together, trying to decide whether or not to tell him. "I really want to leave," she finally admitted.  
  
He was astonished, although he hid the brunt of it well. "I never thought you were the type."  
  
"You thought wrong." Rory grinned.  
  
"Evidently." They sat in an envelope of quiet for a minute, until Jess started conversation. "Tell me about your school."  
  
This sent Rory into a reverie. "Well," she began, "everyone's competitive. Especially Paris. Remember her?"  
  
"The Beat Movement hater herself?"  
  
"That's the one. She got it in her head on my first day that I was out to get her."  
  
"Because you look so threatening."  
  
"Ha, ha. And then there's Tristan."  
  
"Tristan?"  
  
"Yeah. You've never met him, lucky you."  
  
"Yet another admirer?"  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "Yeah, they're lined up around the block."  
  
"So tell me about Tristan."  
  
"How can I? Let's see…he called me Mary my very first day."  
  
Jess laughed out loud. "Why didn't I think of that?"  
  
"It was horrible. And then he came to the birthday party my grandparents threw for me, and he accosted Dean at the dance—"  
  
"I like this guy."  
  
"You wouldn't if you actually met him." Another lapse of quiet fell over the twosome. Both were lost in their thoughts, Rory's about Chilton, Jess' about something more mysterious. "What about you?"  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"Your past. Nobody knows anything."  
  
"That's because the gossip chain doesn't stretch all the way to New York."  
  
"Come on. You know everything about me."  
  
"Not even close."  
  
"Well, more than I know about you."  
  
Leaning back on his palms, Jess stared at the sky. "I did some stuff I'm not real proud of."  
  
Rory looked at him with wide, untainted blue eyes. "Like what?"  
  
Jess shrugged. "I…a few drugs. I smoked. More than I do now. Some shoplifting." He looked to Rory's mildly shocked expression. Quickly, he looked away again, ashamed. "I didn't want you to know that."  
  
Tilting her head, Rory considered him. "That's the past," she forgave softly. With a hesitant countenance, she lay her head on his thigh and stared to the sky. Jess stroked her hair and looked where she was. "What are you looking at?"  
  
"The stars."  
  
"There aren't any out."  
  
"I know. But I can imagine." 


	7. Monkey See, Monkey Do

Author's Note: Obviously, it's a continuation of the last part. Sorry it's been so long, but I just got done with finals three hours ago. (Cheer for me, please). I'll have more time to write next week, so I'll try to update more often.  
  
Disclaimer: They aren't mine. But oh what I'd do with them if they were ;)  
  
1 Part Seven: Monkey See, Monkey Do  
  
Jess waited for the signal. His break always came between two and three, and Luke would wave him off with an impatient air. Today, it seemed to be taking longer than usual for Luke to release him from his duties. Jess distractedly wiped tables and delivered empty plates to the kitchen to wash later. Caesar sighed whenever a dish was brought in and dunked it in the hot, sudsy water. Waiting for Luke's wave, Jess straightened the counter up and replaced napkins in dispensers. The time dragged by, and the second hand on his watch was taunting him, he was sure of it.  
  
"You can go," Luke announced and waved his hand. Jess thumped his rag down on the counter and strode out the door. The center of town was crammed with people, preparing for some lame festival. Miss Patty, the portly dance instructor, was bossing people around with an aristocratic air, tossing her cigarette in its holder around. Someone squealed when it hit them in the arm, and Miss Patty turned and told them to buck up. Jess shook his head and walked past them.  
  
One thing about Stars Hollow: it was feasible to walk everywhere. There were no cabs, but everything worth seeing was within walking distance. Kicking rocks idly, Jess wandered slowly down the streets, thinking about his dilemma. As he was loping down a generic street, he sensed someone looking malevolently at him. Dean was standing in one of the house's yards, bagging grass. His clothing was green, and his face was covered in a sheen of sweat. A glare adorned his face. Jess waved and continued on, a grin on his face.  
  
He passed some small kids in the playground, hanging precariously on a jungle gym. They pointed to him as he walked by, but he didn't care. Today, he had a mission. It was unusual for him to be so determined to do something, but Jess was resolute. He needed to help Rory.  
  
When he showed up at the Independence Inn, there was a bustle of activity. There was a short man in the lobby, haphazardly dusting lamps. A sleek man was standing boredly at the front desk, speaking in a French accent. This could only be Michel, who Rory had told him about in detail. Jess stood in the center of the lobby but didn't see Lorelai. At the front desk, he waited for Michel to get off the phone and leaned his forearms on the counter.  
  
"Why are you leaning your filthy arms on this counter?" the Frenchman asked rudely.  
  
"'Cause I'm waiting for you to answer my question."  
  
"Are you saying that if I answer your forthcoming question that you will get your dirty, oily skin off the counter that I polished?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Ask." Michel frowned disdainfully at Jess.  
  
"Where is Lorelai?"  
  
Michel jerked his head backward. "She is in the kitchen, conspiring with Sookie on how to make my life most miserable."  
  
"Good to know." Jess left the desk and went to where the man had nodded. The swinging door opened and nearly hit him. The waiter apologized and Jess slipped past him. He spotted Lorelai seated at a counter drinking coffee and talking to a voluptuous woman stirring a pot. "Lorelai."  
  
She looked up and narrowed her eyes when she saw Jess. "Why are you here?"  
  
"I came to talk to you."  
  
"Here I am. Argue your case."  
  
"Rory didn't do anything wrong," Jess said abruptly.  
  
"Like hell she didn't."  
  
"We were watching a movie. We had a tickling war. That's it."  
  
"Look, I don't care what you have to say. It means nothing to me. You waltz into this town and ruin my daughter, my perfect daughter."  
  
"Maybe she wanted to be ruined."  
  
Lorelai stood up. "You scum," she snarled.  
  
"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth. She's seventeen. She couldn't go on being Miss Perfect her entire life."  
  
"She could have if you hadn't come with your Kevin-Bacon-Footloose-I'm- gonna-change-this-town attitude."  
  
"You know, you should think less about what you expect out of her and more about what makes her happy."  
  
"What do you know? Huh? What do you know about me or my daughter or our family?" Lorelai was yelling now, and the kitchen had stopped in its tracks. "You have no idea. You don't know her past, and you sure as hell won't know her future."  
  
"She's happy with me!"  
  
"Bullshit!"  
  
"You're too stubborn for your own good. Or for your daughter's good, for that matter."  
  
"Get out." Lorelai's voice was raspy with scorn, and Jess narrowed his eyes. He said nothing more, but pushed through the small throng of people gathered by the door and let it swing behind him.  
  
Jess circled the inn even though he was supposed to be getting back to Luke's. He didn't know any other way to let his anger out, so he walked with a heavy step and a scowl. Rory saw him from her spot on a bench on the grounds of the inn. Worriedly, she book-marked her spot and stood, intercepting him during one of his circles.  
  
"Jess?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Oh, great. Can't you tell?" Jess muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I tried to talk to your mother." Rory's silence was all the response he needed. "Why is that so awful?"  
  
Rory opened her mouth, but shut it again. Finally, she said, "My mom is not the most agreeable person."  
  
"No shit."  
  
"Look, I don't think it's good for you to talk with her."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"She doesn't like you," Rory informed him bluntly.  
  
"She got the point across."  
  
"Well, I mean, you're not making the situation better."  
  
"Is this running along the same vein as, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all'?"  
  
"Yes!" Rory cried. "This is between me and my mother."  
  
"I was trying to help!"  
  
"Don't!" Rory took a deep breath and stopped walking. "I'm sorry, Jess. I appreciate you trying to help and all, but my mother won't listen to you. She won't listen to me, so I think it's best if we just let this run its course." Rory peered into Jess' eyes, hoping her outburst hadn't made him angry.  
  
With a heavy sigh, Jess nodded. "Okay." He began walking again, and Rory caught up to his side. They walked around the inn in silence for a long time, just looking at the lake and the guests. The tennis court was full with a doubles match; the benches by the lake were all occupied; the lake was teeming with visitors.  
  
"It's nice today," Rory remarked.  
  
"Yeah. Better than last week."  
  
Rory blushed with the mention of last week. Though it didn't go unnoticed by Jess, he said nothing. "It was far too hot last week."  
  
"Makes some people do things they otherwise wouldn't," Jess noted.  
  
The meaning sunk in rather slowly. With a swift glance at Jess, Rory didn't break the pace while saying, "Sometimes it just speeds up the inevitable."  
  
Jess' face split into a wide grin for a millisecond; then, he contained himself and toned it down. "Maybe." Rory smiled and stepped a little closer to Jess. Interpreting this as an invitation, Jess reached over and took Rory's hand in his. Rory squeezed his a little, and he returned the pressure.  
  
Lorelai stepped back from the kitchen window, her face pensive. Behind her, Sookie yakked on about the menu for tonight's dinner, but Lorelai pursed her lips and murmured, "Uh-huh," at intervals. Spontaneously, Lorelai spun around and started for the kitchen door. "I have to do something," Lorelai said suddenly.  
  
"Okay…" Sookie's countenance was puzzled, but she waved Lorelai out. "Go. Everything's fine."  
  
"I'll be back in a couple hours," Lorelai told her and strode through the door of the kitchen. She bent down behind the counter and fetched her purse. "Michel, can you handle the place for a couple of hours?"  
  
"I think I am capable of such a task. I was, after all, hired for that purpose in the first place."  
  
"Good." Lorelai hurried between the guests socializing in the lobby and ducked out the front door. The Jeep was parked in an obscure place under some trees, off to the side of the front door. Lorelai hopped in and revved the engine. Placing one arm over the passenger's seat, she backed out cautiously, dreading the moment she would hear the squish of a child trapped under her wheels. Thankfully, there was no such incident, and Lorelai sped out of the inn's drive. Cutting through tons of tiny streets, Lorelai avoided Main Street and got on the Interstate.  
  
Forty minutes, she was standing on her parents' front stoop, contemplating. Her hand would reach out and nearly ring the bell, but then recoil and reconsider. "Lorelai," came a withering voice, "what are you doing?"  
  
"Calisthenics," Lorelai joked.  
  
"Well, is there somewhere else you could do them?"  
  
"No, no. The doorbell is such a motivator."  
  
"I see," Emily said. "Well, come in if you like."  
  
"I would." Lorelai trailed her mother through the door. "Thank you."  
  
Emily led her through the foyer and into the living room, where there was a tray out. "Thank you, Belinda."  
  
"Isn't is Beatrice?"  
  
"Oh, I can never remember. She knows what I mean," Emily dismissed.  
  
"Right." Lorelai sat on the couch across from her mother.  
  
"Would you like a drink, Lorelai?"  
  
Glancing at her watch, Lorelai resisted the impulse for a margarita. "Do you have coffee?"  
  
"Somewhere. Belinda—Beatrice—get Lorelai some coffee." Emily gestured to Lorelai and nodded the main out. Lorelai smiled. "Why are you here, Lorelai?"  
  
"Wow, cut right to the chase there, Mom."  
  
"I have a DAR meeting in an hour."  
  
"Well, then." Lorelai hunted for an ending to her comment, but found none. She decided that cutting to the chase was a good idea. "Mom, when did I get wild?"  
  
Emily looked taken aback. "What?"  
  
"I mean, when did you notice I wasn't going to live up to your expectations?"  
  
"Do you want a date?"  
  
"No, I want an event."  
  
Emily leaned back into the upholstery. "Well, you must have been about fifteen. I think it was that night…the one Christopher and his parents came over and you kept exchanging these secretive looks. You were never the same. After that, you—" Emily cut herself off. "Well, never mind." Beatrice set the coffee in front of Lorelai, who took a sip and set it back down. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Lorelai shrugged. "No reason."  
  
"'No reason'? Lorelai, you got out of work to come visit me on a whim all the way out in Hartford…there is a reason. Is there something wrong with Rory?"  
  
"Of course not," Lorelai said defensively.  
  
"I see," Emily replied with a smug grin.  
  
"No, you don't see. You don't see anything." Lorelai stood up abruptly. "I have to get back."  
  
Emily rose after her daughter and clicked through the hardwood behind her. "Lorelai, tell me if there's something wrong with Rory."  
  
"There isn't." Lorelai put her hand on the doorknob, ready to flee.  
  
"It wouldn't be so unusual for Rory to go through some phase. You two are so much alike, after all."  
  
"She isn't! God, why can't you see that? Rory is a great kid. She is not me, Mother."  
  
"Then why did you come here?"  
  
"I told you, I was curious."  
  
"That is a lie, and you know it, Lorelai."  
  
"Rory will not turn out like me!" Lorelai yelled it loud enough to shock her mother and convince herself. "She won't, Mom." Lorelai twisted the doorknob and flounced out of the house. She ran to her Jeep as quickly as she could in heels and flung herself in the front seat. Automatically, her fingers reached to put the keys in the ignition, but stopped short, sagging from lack of strength. Instead, she put both hands on the wheel and her head on her forearms. No matter how hard she tried to stop them, the tears drizzled down her face.  
  
A long while later, Lorelai lifted her wearied head. There were cars parked all around her, rich cars, Lexuses and Mercedes. Grinding her teeth, Lorelai kept the silent rage in. Her mother hadn't had to decency to come out and tell her to move. Now, Lorelai could almost hear the DAR women gossiping pettily about Lorelai Gilmore—you know, the dropout—crying in her car in the middle of the day. With more force than essential, Lorelai turned the key in the ignition and stepped hard on the accelerator. She didn't move. Frustrated, she pulled the Jeep out of park and stomped on the gas again. This time, the car lurched forward and narrowly missed a black BMW. With her foot firmly planted on the gas, Lorelai sped out of her parents' estate and onto the Interstate.  
  
It was close to four when she returned to the inn. Michel gave her a spiteful look. Uncaring, Lorelai rushed past and banged into the kitchen, where Sookie was swirling something in a pan. "She's going to be like me," Lorelai lamented.  
  
"What, hon?" Sookie inquired casually.  
  
"Stop stirring, Sookie," Lorelai commanded tiredly. Sookie put the spoon on a rest and looked at her friend with a worried face. "Rory is going to be like me."  
  
"She already is like you," Sookie pointed out.  
  
"No, I mean she's going to make some huge mistake and regret it."  
  
"You regret Rory?"  
  
"No, I regret the…the implications of being pregnant so soon and missing out on my life."  
  
"You think Rory's going to get pregnant?" Sookie seated herself on a stool and frowned.  
  
"I don't know! Something bad. She's hanging out with Jess too much."  
  
"That's what you're worried about?"  
  
"Wouldn't you be?"  
  
"Lorelai, Rory has rock-solid judgment. If she's hanging out with him, he can't be all bad."  
  
"I just know he's going to lead her into something she'll regret later."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't have a specific example," Lorelai said reluctantly. "But I went to talk to my mother."  
  
"That's why your eyes are all red?"  
  
"And she said that the time I started getting wild was when Chris first came over for dinner and we traded glances all night."  
  
"Uh…"  
  
"Rory does that with Jess! They're like Tina and Jimmy on SNL." Lorelai threw herself in a chair next to Sookie. "That's the beginning. That's how it began with me. And since she's like me…"  
  
"You think she's going to end up like you?"  
  
"I don't know," Lorelai sighed. "I just don't know." 


	8. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Author's Note: All right, I finally got around to updating. Hope you guys like it, and thanks for the reviews.  
  
Disclaimer: Let's see…nope, I don't think so. Not mine.  
  
  
  
Part Eight: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?  
  
As was the way the world worked, the week was up again. Thus, it was Friday, and Lorelai and Rory were driving in chilling silence. Rory was wedged up against the door, her hand on the release, ready to jump out at a moment's notice. Her mouth drawn tight, Lorelai was driving with cold accuracy, not looking at her daughter. The dinner had been awkward. There were no jokes or stolen looks between Rory and Lorelai. Richard was bewildered; Emily sat through the whole meal with a look of infuriating superiority.  
  
Now here they were, deprived of any distraction other than the quiet sitting between them like a drum crops. Stars Hollow was abandoned at this time of night, except for Luke's. When they passed the bright diner, both girls looked away. Finally, Lorelai spliced the quietus. "You still hanging out with Jess?"  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
"We're thinking of opening an amusement park."  
  
"Make sure you serve coffee."  
  
"Will do."  
  
Lorelai sighed, frazzled. "I'm sorry."  
  
Rory sat up a little and glanced at her mother for the first time in days. "What?"  
  
"I'm sorry. I overreacted."  
  
"Yeah, you did."  
  
"I just don't want you to end up like me, wondering what could have been."  
  
"I know. I won't."  
  
"Rory, please be careful."  
  
"I will, Mom. Boy in the plastic bubble careful. But Jess isn't this awful influence."  
  
Lorelai chuckled mirthlessly. "Rory…"  
  
"I'm serious!"  
  
They pulled up in front of their house, and Lorelai contorted in her seat to look Rory full in the face. "Promise me that if you feel uncomfortable with him, you'll call me. You'll go home. You'll leave."  
  
"I will, Mom."  
  
"Okay, then." Lorelai climbed out of the Jeep and waited for her daughter to come out the other side. She slung her arm across Rory's shoulders. "I have an idea."  
  
"Dangerous words, when they come from the likes of you."  
  
"We'll have Jess over again. Jess and Luke. A peace-offering-type gathering."  
  
"Really?" Rory asked dubiously.  
  
"Yeah, really."  
  
Rory untangled herself from her mom. "When? Can I go call Jess?"  
  
Lorelai smiled wistfully. "Tomorrow. Go, scram. Call him."  
  
With a smile lighting her face, Rory turned to the door. She hesitated with her hand on the door. She raced down the stairs and hugged her mother warmly, then sprinted through the house to her room and dialed Jess' number. Luke answered on the fourth ring. "Luke? Is Jess there?"  
  
Luke grunted. "Jess, for you." There were some scraping sounds, and then Luke's gruff voice again. "Don't tie up the line forever."  
  
"Hey," Jess said.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"You sound cheerful."  
  
"My mom and I made up."  
  
"Good."  
  
"And she wants you and Luke to come over for dinner tomorrow."  
  
Jess delayed. "I don't know if that's the best idea."  
  
"Look, I know you and Mom aren't on the best terms, but this would mean a lot to me. And it would be a chance for you two to start over again. She's willing to try, Jess."  
  
A sigh. "Okay. What time?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
"We'll be there."  
  
"Good," Rory responded.  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye. Hey, Jess?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Rory pressed the "off" button and left her room to hang the phone up. Lorelai was sitting on the couch, her feet propped up on the table. "Hey, kid. They coming?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
"I'll call Sookie."  
  
Rory planted herself next to her mother. "We should probably return Young Frankenstein."  
  
"Eventually. But I need to watch it first." Lorelai grinned.  
  
"You have no manners."  
  
"It's half my charm." Lorelai smiled impishly.  
  
"The other half is your stunning wardrobe."  
  
"You got it."  
  
"Hey, Mom?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thanks for giving Jess a chance."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
*  
  
The kitchen was enveloped in a sweet mixture of enticing smells. Rory could hardly remember the kitchen ever smelling like this, and she wished she could bottle the smell and wear it everywhere. Unfortunately, it also made the kitchen almost unbearably hot, and Rory was perspiring in her short-sleeved shirt and shorts.  
  
"I need more strawberries, Jackson," Sookie requested, and Jackson placed some on the countertop next to her. Sookie buoyantly sliced the strawberries and blended them in with the batter.  
  
"Strawberry angel food?" Rory asked, unable to keep the excitement from ringing in her voice.  
  
"Strawberry angel food. And if they don't like that—"  
  
"They will," Rory assured her.  
  
"—Then I fixed some ice-cream and fruit deserts."  
  
"It looks so delicious."  
  
Sookie giggled girlishly. "I'm so glad your mom caved, hon," she said, waving the spatula around. Jackson firmly gripped her hand in his and wiped his batter-strewn face with the other.  
  
"Sookie, for the last time. This kitchen is smaller than yours. Therefore, you mustn't wave that spoon around."  
  
"Sorry, honey." Sookie handed Jackson the towel that was dangling from her apron and Jackson cleaned his face. "Anyway, most of it's cool food."  
  
"Good," Rory approved, nodding happily. "I really appreciate this, Sookie."  
  
"Don't mention it, sugar."  
  
Rory exited the room respectfully to let Sookie and Jackson work in peace. There were a lot of minor crash sounds coming from upstairs, and Rory decided to go investigate. "Mom?"  
  
"Rory?"  
  
In her mother's room, there were pieces of clothing discarded haphazardly on every surface. The dresser was a disaster area of makeup and jewelry. "Can't decide what to wear?" Rory concluded upon appraisal.  
  
"No!" Lorelai moaned.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why not?" Rory teased. "It's just Luke and Jess."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "I know. I want to make a good impression on—"  
  
"Luke?"  
  
"Jess," Lorelai corrected with a glare. "Luke sees me everyday."  
  
"So does Jess."  
  
"Yeah, well." Lorelai didn't put anything else with that sentence, just sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned Rory to sit next to her. "How's Sookie holding up?"  
  
"All right. It's not as bad as last time. I think it's the idea of cold foods that's keeping her sane."  
  
"Good, good." Lorelai rested her arm around Rory's shoulders. "So, clothes. Thoughts?"  
  
"Wear some."  
  
"Funny."  
  
"How about…that strappy sundress thing?"  
  
"Now, we don't want Jess liking me better than you all of a sudden."  
  
"He's not really The Graduate-Dustin Hoffman type."  
  
"You're right. More of a James Dean."  
  
"Uh, I guess. Wear the sundress. I'm sure Luke will love it."  
  
Lorelai's mouth dropped for a moment, but then she shooed her daughter away. "Blasphemous child!"  
  
As she was backing out, Rory theorized, "You never know. Maybe the sight of you in that dress will prompt him to give you more coffee."  
  
"If I wanted that, I'd be breaking out the minis, sweetie."  
  
"Life lessons from my mom," Rory said dryly, shutting the door behind her. With a light step, Rory jogged down the stairs. In the kitchen, Sookie and Jackson were debating about the pineapple for the fruit salad. Knowing when to leave well enough alone, Rory disappeared out onto the porch. Slinging her legs over one end of the rocker, she reclined back and tipped her head outward to look at the evening sky, with streaks of lights still etched in the darkening blue.  
  
A series of noises caught her attention, and Rory's head snapped in the direction. It was two figures fighting their way through the Gilmores' thickening foliage. "Luke, I told you not to take the shortcut."  
  
"We were gonna be late."  
  
"And now were scratched."  
  
"But not late."  
  
Rory rolled off the rocked and leaned against the post, waiting. "Just couldn't wait for us to ring the bell?" Jess asked.  
  
"Nope," Rory acceded with a smile. "Come on in. Sookie's almost finished and Mom might be dressed."  
  
"Told you we didn't have to take the shortcut."  
  
"It's polite to be punctual."  
  
"But not especially easy."  
  
Rory let them past in. Luke went in first and walked straight through the foyer and into the kitchen. Jess lingered behind and ushered Rory off to the side. "Your mom's okay with this?"  
  
"Yeah, fine."  
  
"Good." Jess leaned in and almost kissed her, but pulled away. He didn't know if Rory wanted anything romantic with him or not, and he decided it was safer to let her make the first move.  
  
Disappointed, Rory gestured for him to keep moving. In the kitchen, Sookie was setting the table, and Rory immediately offered help. "Nope, pumpkin. Sit down."  
  
Jackson and Luke were talking, and Luke had an expression of disbelief on his face. "You wrote poetry to read to your pears?"  
  
"They weren't getting as plump as I wanted them to."  
  
"Did it work?" Luke asked.  
  
"Well, not yet. But I have to keep trying."  
  
"Right," Luke assented quickly.  
  
"Okay! Let's get this party started," Lorelai quipped, hopping into the room with one shoe on. "Wow, this food looks great."  
  
Sookie dimpled and laughed. "It does, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." Lorelai smiled a constrained smile at Jess and sat down. Rory chose the seat across from her mother, and Jess instantly sat next to her. Noticing, Lorelai looked to her side. Luke was too timid to select that seat, choosing to sit in between Sookie and Jess. "Dig in."  
  
"No!" Sookie cried. "Let me dish it up." With practiced movements, Sookie served the food without disturbing their displays. "All right, now we're ready."  
  
A silence fell over the table as the group ate their meals. Jess snuck frequent glances at Rory, who hit him discreetly under the table. "Quit watching me eat."  
  
Jess grinned and hunkered down over his food. "Jess," Lorelai addressed him.  
  
"Lorelai."  
  
"Looking forward to school?"  
  
"Not especially." He felt Rory's gaze and elaborated. "But it's senior year."  
  
"Yeah." Lorelai looked around the table. "Well, so. What are you planning to do afterwards?"  
  
"I haven't figured that out yet," Jess admitted.  
  
Luke piped up. "He can stay with me as long as he wants."  
  
"Now there's incentive to stay in Stars Hollow," Jess answered sarcastically.  
  
This effectively ended conversation, and all that filled the room for another fifteen minutes was the clatter of flatware against the plates. Lorelai's eyes kept roaming between Rory and Jess, sometimes stealing glances at Luke. Sookie was absorbed into her food. Jackson was busy inspecting every piece of fruit that was admitted into his mouth. The air was palpable with tension, especially between Lorelai and Jess. Rory ignored it, pretending to be completely engrossed in her food. Finally, Sookie offered dessert.  
  
"Oh, me!" Lorelai cried chipperly. "I love dessert."  
  
"Really?" Rory taunted. "I had no idea."  
  
"Now, child. Who raised you to be like that?"  
  
"You."  
  
"That was a mistake."  
  
Sookie placed plates of strawberry angel food cake adorned with ice-cream in front of everyone. "Now, I have fruit and ice-cream dishes if you don't want this."  
  
There was a general murmur of acceptance, and Sookie anxiously sat down. Lorelai smacked her lips in approval, and Rory shook her head. Jess stealthily looked sideways, but Lorelai didn't miss it. "So, Jess."  
  
Looking up with a small feeling of dread, Jess asked, "What?"  
  
"How do you like Stars Hollow? Getting adjusted?"  
  
Jess shot her a look that forced Lorelai to hold in a laugh. "Yeah, it's great."  
  
"That's good," Lorelai said.  
  
Rory slanted her head down and beamed into her food. Her mother and Jess had established a humorous banter, and thus Jess was accepted, at least temporarily. Dessert was completed with considerably less unease, and soon the group disbanded into twosomes in the living room. Rory and Jess claimed the window seat, Lorelai and Luke conquered the couch, and Sookie and Jackson volunteered to clean up the kitchen together. "Use the airquotes," Lorelai advised. Sookie just giggled and departed into the kitchen to be with Jackson.  
  
Jess leaned back on his palms and studied Rory's eyes. He saw how bright they were, and he hoped he had put some of that there. "So, how did it go?"  
  
"Well," Rory answered merrily. "At the end there, the jokey stuff?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"She likes me?"  
  
"I don't know if like is quite right. I'd say something more like she doesn't hate you as intensely as before."  
  
"What an improvement." Jess smiled warmly. "I'm glad we came, in that case."  
  
"I'm glad you came too," Rory said softly. There was a gentle silence between them, and Rory willed Jess to kiss her. He didn't even dip toward her, and Rory felt a sharp disappointment rush through her veins. In fact, his eyes weren't even on her. Looking up, she found Lorelai and Luke staring at them. "Talk amongst yourselves," Rory ordered. Lorelai smiled, although it didn't crinkle her eyes per usual. She did turn back to Luke, however, and made him converse with her again.  
  
Rory blushed lightly. "Well, Luke probably wants to go."  
  
"Yeah." Rory wiped her palms on the diminutive length of her shorts. With humiliation crowding her brain, she stood up and motioned with her hand. Jess slid by her, and Rory trailed him. Luke abruptly rose and bid goodbye to Lorelai.  
  
"Well, we'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"As usual," Lorelai guaranteed.  
  
"Bye," Jess said and went out through the door. Waving a tiny wave, Luke strode out as well, leaving Rory and Lorelai at the threshold of the living room.  
  
They stood there in silence for a while. Both of them stared at the space vacated by the two guys, thinking their own thoughts. Lorelai's face was modified into one of soft reflection. Much like Lorelai's, Rory's was tender and musing. "So that went well," Lorelai observed.  
  
"Yeah, it did. I told you Jess wasn't all bad."  
  
"We'll see," Lorelai said with a warning glance.  
  
"We will," Rory agreed confidently.  
  
Lorelai revolved to Rory and hugged her firmly. "Goodnight, kid."  
  
"Goodnight?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It's nine. On a Saturday."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "I think it'd be good for you to go to bed early sometimes."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"Nothing, honey. I'm just looking out for you general well-being."  
  
"Right." Rory gave her mother a doubtful look. "You're at least going to help Sookie and Jackson, right?"  
  
"Of course. I'm not entirely without decorum."  
  
"I thought that was half your charm."  
  
"Well, my charm changes from day to day." Lorelai nudged her daughter. "Go."  
  
"Fine," Rory said, taking the phone out of the holder. Lorelai fished for it, but Rory held it closely. "Nope."  
  
"Rory!"  
  
"Who were you going to call?"  
  
"No one."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Rory!"  
  
"Goodnight," Rory jeered.  
  
"You disobedient child! Come back here!"  
  
Lorelai and Rory exploded into the kitchen staging a chase for the phone. Sookie and Jackson broke apart harshly and Sookie giggled in surprise. Waving her arms and grabbing for Rory, Lorelai hunted for the phone. "Goodnight," Rory called before slamming her door and falling against it with all her weight. After a few minutes, Lorelai ceased to bang on the wood. Dialing mechanically, Rory reached Jess. He picked up after three rings. "Hey."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Jess leaned back into his headboard. "Nothin'." 


	9. New York State of Mind

1 Author's Note: I appreciate all the reviews. I'm glad people like this story. This part's title is from the Billy Joel song, of course. Enjoy. Also, consider yourselves warned that at some point in the next couple chapters, the rating will go up. Not that far up, pull your minds out of the gutter (.  
  
2 Disclaimer: The characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino. The show belongs to the WB. I only own the situations.  
  
3  
  
4 Part Nine: New York State of Mind  
  
The sun was trying to stream into Rory's room. Luckily, she had thick curtains to block the offensive light from invading her sanctuary of darkness. For some reason, though, there seemed to be more light than average poking through the carefully guarded windows. Grunting, Rory rolled over in her cool bed and thrust her face into her pillow.  
  
"Hey, sleepyhead," Jess whispered into her ear, his breath dancing across her sleep-sensitized skin.  
  
"Jess?"  
  
"The one and only."  
  
Rory rotated onto her back and smiled up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "Good morning." Squinting, Rory frowned. "You used the window?"  
  
"Duh."  
  
"Moron." Rory punched his arm. "You woke me up."  
  
"Well, genius, that was the point."  
  
"I was having a perfectly peaceful sleep, and you waltz in here and—"  
  
"Bring you coffee?" Jess extended the gift, and Rory accepted it eagerly.  
  
"Forgiven," Rory said lightly and inhaled the beverage.  
  
"Good." Jess cleared his throat and clamped down on the impulse to lean in and kiss her gorgeous, fresh face. Their relationship remained undefined; as of yet, they hadn't shared another kiss since the beginning of the summer. Now, seated on her bed, watching her drink coffee, Jess felt the irresistible need to label their connection.  
  
"Jess?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I lost you."  
  
"I'm back now."  
  
"Good." Rory sat up and yawned. "Last day."  
  
"Bittersweet."  
  
"I don't want to go back to hell."  
  
"I think that's what Hitler said before he died."  
  
"Shut up." Rory hoisted herself out of bed with one arm.  
  
"So what are we going to do?"  
  
"Well, I was going to sleep, but that, evidently, is a lost cause."  
  
"Well, now that we've eliminated one possibility, I guess we have to pick from the available ones."  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Like…going to Hartford for the day."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And?"  
  
"And do what?" Rory clarified.  
  
"See a movie, look through a record store, sit in the park and read…something."  
  
Rory wrinkled her nose. "Let's do something here. Or at least not in Hartford. I have to go there tomorrow anyway."  
  
"Right." Jess pondered the new ramifications for a while. "Let's go to New York."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah. We'll take a bus or something, head to New York."  
  
Tugging at her lip with her teeth, Rory mused. "Well…"  
  
The enthusiasm Rory loved about Jess lit up his face. "Yeah! We could have lunch at a disgusting fast food joint, look through Washington Square Park, see a real art-house movie. You could become a jaded urbanite for one day."  
  
Smiling and powerless to resist his little-boy ebullience, Rory acquiesced. "Okay." She turned back to her room to get dressed. "What does one wear to New York?"  
  
"Anything but plaid."  
  
"Oh, you won't have to worry about that." Rory vanished into her room, and Jess sank down into a chair. The confines of the friendship, albeit close, was beginning to suffocate him. Every time he saw her bite her lip, or stare into his eyes with her bright, jeweled orbs, he almost couldn't overcome the desire to grab her, kiss her.  
  
When Rory returned from her room, she was wearing jeans and a plain blue shirt. On her feet were comfortable walking shoes suitable for trekking through New York. Jess stood up and offered his arm. "Wait," Rory said. "I should call my mom."  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"Don't you have to call Luke?"  
  
"It's Tuesday."  
  
"Right, right." Rory lifted the telephone out of the charger and punched the inn's number on the keypad. "Mom?"  
  
"Rory! Hey, babe."  
  
"You know it's the last day of summer."  
  
"Indeed. Sorry, kid."  
  
"Well, Jess and I want to do something."  
  
Lorelai's radar sounded noisily. "Oh?"  
  
"Don't freak out. Remain calm. We want to go to New York for the day."  
  
"Rory…"  
  
"Mom, please?"  
  
Inhaling to retain composure, Lorelai considered. She was on far better terms with Jess than before, but she still couldn't bring herself to fully trust him. "Put him on the phone."  
  
"O-okay." Rory handed the phone to Jess. "She wants to talk to you."  
  
Raising his eyebrows, Jess accepted the machinery. "Lorelai?"  
  
"Listen. I don't trust you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Don't interrupt me. I don't trust you, and I sure as hell don't trust you taking my daughter to New York. But, lucky for you, she wants to go with you, for some inconceivable reason. So I'll let her." Lorelai paused, letting her remarks seep in. Jess didn't say anything. "But, so help me God, if she comes home with even a scratch—be it mental or physical—you will lose the ability to procreate. Do you understand me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Put my daughter back on the phone."  
  
"Okay." Jess passed the phone back to Rory.  
  
"All right, kid. Have a good time. Be home by five tonight, because you have to get a good night's sleep."  
  
"Serious?"  
  
"Serious. Be careful, babe."  
  
"I love you, Mom."  
  
"I love you, too." Lorelai squeezed her eyelids to force the tears in. The phone clicked on the other end, and Lorelai felt the umbilical cord cut again.  
  
Rory dumped the phone back in its home. "We're clear."  
  
Jess again proffered his arm. "Come on."  
  
Rory took it and wrapped her arm firmly in his. "Let's go!"  
  
Forty minutes later, they were on a bus bound for New York. Jess let Rory in and took the noisy aisle seat. "You been before?"  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
"With your mom?"  
  
Again, Rory nodded. "We didn't get too far."  
  
"There's a shocker."  
  
"I know. You wouldn't believe how volatile those New Yorkers are!"  
  
"I might."  
  
"My mom really upset them."  
  
"I can imagine." The bus lurched forward, and Rory gripped Jess' hand. "Not much of a traveler?"  
  
"No."  
  
The pressure on Jess' hand lessened in time. Rory looked out the window with rapt fascination, and Jess watched her with rapt fascination. Fading summer beauties flew past the window, and Rory strove to take it all in. The other passengers looked bored and tired, but Rory was bright with the newness of it all.  
  
"I've never met anyone like you."  
  
Rory faced him. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Someone who is so…so…"  
  
"Indescribable?" Rory teased.  
  
"Pure."  
  
"Pure?"  
  
"Pure," Jess confirmed.  
  
Rory smiled lopsidedly and turned back to the window. A Natalie Merchant song echoed through the tinny sound system of the bus. Briefly, Rory wondered why buses bothered to put sound systems in. Most people hated the songs, and no one could ever agree. She decided it was a kind of Musak for those who didn't bring a CD player.  
  
Soon, the bus was creaking to a stop. Jess helped her up by the hand and didn't let go. Rory reveled in the feel of his reassuring grasp. He guided her through the throngs of people awaiting arrivals outside the bus. They dove through the legions and burst outside into the semi-fresh air. "Here it is."  
  
"Here it is," Rory acceded.  
  
"Where do you want to go?"  
  
"Up to you. You're my guide today."  
  
"I always wanted to be a tour leader."  
  
"Now's you chance to practice."  
  
Smiling down at her, Jess escorted her through the bustling streets. Everywhere, Rory found something worth looking at, and her head swiveled on her neck. Jess chuckled. Rory asked him what was so funny. "You."  
  
"Oh, that." Rory's head whipped around to look at a couple having an earsplitting argument. "Some lungs."  
  
"I've seen better." Jess wove a path for them and Rory merely followed, grateful for his presence. They stopped at a fast food restaurant with a window.  
  
"Mariano!"  
  
"Hi, Ron."  
  
"Back in the city?"  
  
"For a visit."  
  
"Good to see you. Everything?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"For me too," Rory interjected.  
  
"Good enough. Who're you?"  
  
"This is Rory," Jess introduced. "Rory, this is Ron. He owns this whole empire."  
  
Rory giggled. Ron handed them the sustenance. "Good to see you."  
  
"Same." The two walked off, eating and navigating simultaneously. Jess steered them to a park bench, and Rory let herself collapse on the wood.  
  
"This is good."  
  
"That's why I like it."  
  
Rory didn't say anything, just captured a bit of mustard threatening to dribble down her cheek. She looked up. "What was that whole conversation we had about not watching me eat?"  
  
"Moot."  
  
"No, no. I still am not up for watching you toss your cookies after you realize how truly disgusting this is."  
  
"But the other New Yorkers might like a show."  
  
"They can see it on TV anytime," Rory pointed out.  
  
"Are you going to eat?"  
  
"Only if you don't watch me." Rory glared at Jess until her held his free hand up in surrender and absorbed himself in his own lunch. Still, Jess sneaked surreptitious looks while Rory's eyes wandered around the park.  
  
The park was like no place Rory had ever been. It was bursting with people from everywhere, a cultural hurricane of sorts. Everywhere was something new to look at, some crazy person doing some odd thing, some new language to get accustomed to. Rory's head kept weaving around, following sounds and sights. Her burger was eaten spasmodically, a bite here and there as she bobbed her head around. Jess smiled as he watched her secretively, ducking his head to hide the grin. "Ready?" he eventually asked.  
  
Rory nodded and stood up, brushing her hands on her pants. "Where to?"  
  
"Where do you want to go?"  
  
"You'd know better than I would. I've only been here a couple of times."  
  
"Okay. Museum?"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The first one we come across."  
  
"Which would be?"  
  
"Is there a museum you wouldn't be interested in?"  
  
Rory smiled. "No," she conceded. They sauntered down the street companionably. Rory's attention was torn between the myriad of people and the diverse storefronts they passed. She saw several record shops that looked like they could give "Spin Round" a run for its money. "Jess?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Where did you used to live?"  
  
Jess nodded his head in the general direction of his old apartment. "Over there. Fifty-eighth."  
  
"What was your apartment like?"  
  
Slowing, he came to a halt. "You want to see it." What would normally be a question came out a declaration.  
  
Uncomfortably, Rory shifted her weight. "A little. But only if you want to. Because you're the one who knows where we're going, so you would be the one to take us there. Not that you're going to take us there. I meant that if we were to possibly go there at all that you would be the one to take us. But only if you want to. You don't have to. Of course you don't have to."  
  
"Rory, Rory!" Jess cut in. "Whoa, stop." With another nod, he said, "Come on."  
  
But Rory stood and bit her lip. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Obviously." Jess commenced to walk in the direction of Fifty-eighth, and Rory instantly followed him. In a moment, she was back by his side, striding with him. Glancing over, Jess smiled a very small smile, and Rory reciprocated. An almost overwhelming urge hit Jess, and he wanted very badly to hold her hand. As they walked on, Jess berated himself for regressing back to a twelve-year-old, scared to hold some girl's hand. But he still didn't reach for Rory.  
  
They stopped in front of a tall brick building with barred windows. It looked just like every other mid-class New York apartment building. People whizzed by them on the sidewalk as Rory stood there and absorbed Jess' former home into her mind. "Coming in?" Jess asked.  
  
"Do you want me to?"  
  
"Yeah." Jess led her up the stairs with a confident step. There was no doorman, just a buzzing system. From his pocket, Jess produced a key, and they were admitted into the parlor. Yet again, it was an average apartment complex. The mailboxes were off to the left, a small front desk was directly in front of them, and a staircase and elevator were to the right. Someone nodded to them as Rory and Jess traded places with him in the elevator.  
  
The ride up was silent. When the car stopped, Jess motioned for her to go first, and Rory emerged into a plain hallway. "The third floor," Jess commented and slipped past her in the narrow corridor. A separate key was slid into the door of number 315A, and Jess held it open for Rory to enter.  
  
Jess stood behind her while Rory took in his apartment. Her eyes flitted all over the room, which was a living room, dining room, and kitchen all combined into one. There was a TV on a stand, a couch, and a coffee table littered with magazines in the living room. The dining room table was similarly covered in newspapers and mail. Rory couldn't see the kitchen very clearly, but it looked cluttered and disorganized. With a mildly ashamed look, Jess advanced in front of Rory and started stacking the magazines. He straightened up. "It's not like your house."  
  
"Not many places are," Rory noted.  
  
"True."  
  
A pause ensued while Jess let his eyes wander throughout the main area, surveying the disarray he had left. "Where's your room?"  
  
"Not mine anymore."  
  
"Where is the room that you used to sleep in?"  
  
A long round of silence descended on the two. "I didn't," Jess finally uttered.  
  
"Sleep?"  
  
"Have a room." Rory's eyes widened and Jess had to shift his. "I just slept out here."  
  
"Oh. Well. The couch looks comfy," Rory said, reddening, embarrassed at the assumption she had made. "It looks soft."  
  
"You get used to it," Jess said dryly.  
  
"Well, it's getting to be one. Maybe we could go a museum?"  
  
Rory turned to the door, but Jess grabbed her arm. "Don't be ashamed."  
  
"Why would I be ashamed?" Rory asked, not facing him.  
  
"The room thing. I'm fine. No big deal."  
  
"Yeah?" Rory ventured tentatively.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Rory finally rotated and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be."  
  
Moving past him in the slim space, Rory sat on the couch. Jess sunk down next to her. "Do you like Stars Hollow better?"  
  
A long, long pause arose. An insistent ticking from an unseen clock in the kitchen was the only disturbance in the still air. Both teenagers looked anywhere but each other, their eyes searching desperately for another object to fixate on. After an eternity, Jess' voice breached the quietus. "You're the best thing about it."  
  
Rory let her eyes focus on his, which were examining her reaction doggedly. "You mean it?"  
  
"If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't say it."  
  
Their words hung in the air, surrounding them, suffocating them. Even though he had vowed not to, Jess could no longer outlast temptation. He reached out and threaded his fingers through her silky hair. Ever so leisurely, he inched forward, bringing his lips tantalizingly close to hers. When he was centimeters away, he could breathe her breath, feel it mingle and lace with his own. At long last, their lips met in a sweet, slow, soulful kiss.  
  
In all his years of kissing, Jess couldn't remember a better one. The buildup to this one had been long, and the kiss was an expression of the wait, a release. Rory cupped her back of his neck with her hand, skimming the sensitive skin with feathery touches. As it grew in length, it grew in intensity until both were required to break apart for oxygen. Within seconds, the contact was reestablished, with more fire. This time, Rory licked his bottom lip, and Jess' mouth opened. Pleasantly surprised by her courageousness, Jess stroked her tongue with his, long, deliberate strokes. Making a soft sound, Rory backed away.  
  
Jess leaned back, trying to free himself from her fruity scent. Gathering his wits, he began his defense. "I never meant to take advantage of you."  
  
"You weren't," Rory said cautiously. "I…uh, I did it, really. Mainly."  
  
"If you say so."  
  
Rory smiled, moistening her lips with a swipe of her tongue. "I say so."  
  
"Fine. It's all your fault then," Jess accused with a grin.  
  
Instead of replying, Rory filled the distance between them and placed her mouth against Jess'. A tingle ran up her spine, causing her to shiver. Mistaking it for cold, Jess wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her snugly against him. Rory groaned. This was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Some sort of hunger was pounding in her veins, throbbing in her temples, and she couldn't stop it—not that she wanted to. With Dean, everything was calm and rational; with Jess, Rory's blood was racing and she knew, somewhere in the dim confines of the back of her mind, that she shouldn't be doing this. But for once, Rory was being led by her heart. 


	10. Call and Answer

Author's Note: The title for this chapter is from the Barenaked Ladies song, titled, obviously, "Call and Answer."  
  
Disclaimer: Still holds, unfortunately.  
  
  
  
1 Part Ten: Call and Answer  
  
Jess let his eyes roam over the enormous building in front of him. It was laden with medieval architectural influences, and Jess felt a little spooked by the ominous-looking gargoyles that loomed menacingly above him. There was some soft of bell tower, and he idly wondered whether there was a hunchback in there. Once he was done observing the building, Jess surveyed the parking lot. It was packed with hundreds of fancy cars: BMW's, Mercedes, Rolls, Bentleys…Vaguely, Jess pondered how much money was in this parking lot.  
  
A shrill bell sounded, and within moments, the pavement of the courtyard was inundated with blue blazers and gray sweaters. Kids were striding in packs, talking conspiratorially with one another, ducking their heads and contorting to see others. There was a large gathering of girls off to one side that looked particularly heinous. A few guys walked past Jess with snide looks, and Jess heard the murmurs that followed him. As usual, it didn't ruffle him.  
  
She came out ten minutes later with another girl. This girl had dirty blonde hair that hung nearly to her waist and her body language was aggressive. Rory's head was bent toward the girl, an interested look on her face. The two stopped a second later, and Rory faced the girl. It was an interesting picture: Rory was a good deal taller than the blonde girl, but the blonde seemed much more intimidating. The stance was what alerted Jess to who she was: Paris. A few words were exchanged between them, and the blonde turned. Rory, eyes concentrated on the cement, walked unseeing toward Jess. The blonde yelled something, and Rory turned and nodded, then resumed her oblivious walk.  
  
Without looking up, Rory started for the bus. Jess jogged until he was next to her, and then loped alongside her with his hands in his pockets. Sensing someone next to her, Rory's head shot up. "Jess!" she exclaimed happily. She hugged him and pecked him on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Thought I'd take a few classes." At Rory's chiding, dubious look, Jess said, "I came to pick you up."  
  
"Why?"  
  
He shrugged his trademark shrug. "You looked kind of down this morning when you came in for coffee." With a jerk of the head, he and Rory started walking to Luke's pickup.  
  
"I had a feeling this day was going to be awful."  
  
"Was it?"  
  
"My feeling this morning was deceptively mild."  
  
"Ah." Rory climbed in the passenger's side and waited while Jess walked around the truck and seated himself. "What happened?"  
  
"You remember that guy I told you about? Tristan?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"He's back."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, he and I have to do this project together, with Paris."  
  
"She hated the Beat Movement."  
  
"The very same."  
  
"I saw you walk out with her." Jess looked over his shoulder and pulled out.  
  
"Yeah, talking about our project."  
  
"Well, it can't be all that bad."  
  
"See, you can say that because you have enough distance from the situation to be realistic. I, on the other hand, am stuck being in a group with the two people most directly responsible for making my life at Chilton a nightmare."  
  
"When do you want me to conveniently interrupt you?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
Jess grinned to himself as he assessed the prospects for a lane change in the side mirror. "I'll be sure to bring some coffee."  
  
"Have I told you that you're deserving of worship lately?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, you are."  
  
"Good to know." Jess thought for a minute as he drove. Rory was in a morose silence, leaning tiredly against the door. "What do I get in return?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Jess lifted an eyebrow. Blushing, Rory returned to the window. "Okay, okay. How about a movie night?"  
  
"That can be arranged."  
  
"Then it's settled. Silence of the Lambs this Saturday."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." Keeping his eyes on the road, Jess felt for her hand. He found it in her lap, and he squeezed it reassuringly. Rory sighed and slid across the bench seat. With another soft noise, she rested her head on his shoulder and shut her eyes. "I'm sorry."  
  
"I know." Rory groaned. "I wish I didn't have to go back."  
  
"You won't after this year."  
  
"If I hadn't lost the ability to see the future, that would be a comforting statement."  
  
"Don't worry about those freaks."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Sure."  
  
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. It was a relaxed silence, unlike the tension-filled ones Rory was used to with Dean. Jess just drove and let her think, mull things over in her mind while holding her hand. Stars Hollow came faster than Rory would have liked it to, but she reluctantly lifted her head off of Jess' safe shoulder and released his hand to get out. Through the window of Luke's, Rory saw something that made her stop and cock her head. Coming up behind her, Jess asked, "What?"  
  
"Nothing," Rory said, shaking herself out of her trance. "Come on. I need coffee. Why are you just standing there?"  
  
Jess shook his head and followed Rory into the diner, where she walked in a perfectly straight line to the counter. Immediately, Jess placed a gigantic cup of steaming coffee in front of her, which she drank gratefully. "Mmm. That's it. Your picture is going on my mantle tonight."  
  
When Jess looked up to smile at her, he caught sight of what must have made Rory halt. Dean was sitting at a table, eating with a girl that looked remarkably like… "Rory?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Who's sitting with Dean over there?"  
  
Not turning, Rory said, "Is Dean here?"  
  
"Rory."  
  
"Okay, okay." Still, she didn't look. "I think it's Lane."  
  
Leaning on his forearms, Jess dipped closer to Rory in order to whisper. "Why is she in that outfit?"  
  
"You go to Stars Hollow High. Certainly you knew that she's a cheerleader."  
  
"Lane's a cheerleader?"  
  
"Yeah. And it's my fault, too."  
  
"That's rich," Jess said disparagingly. "Did you know about this?"  
  
"Do I look like I knew about this?" Rory put her head in her hands. "I told you, the feeling this morning was not an accurate warning. It's like those crummy weather guys on the ten o'clock news."  
  
With a final glare at Dean, Jess made a loud clatter about putting the coffeepot away. Lane looked up and met Jess' eyes with a guilty expression. He shook his head at her and touched the back of Rory's hand. "Let's go to the bookstore."  
  
Perking up, Rory finished her coffee and slid off the stool. "That would be good."  
  
"Good." Lane and Dean watched them leave, and Rory couldn't resist a look. Her heart splintered a little, but she held her head up. Dean's eyes met hers defiantly, and it then Rory knew: this thing with Lane was just to hurt her. Anger flashed through Rory's eyes, and she whipped her head back to Jess.  
  
"Asshole," she fumed.  
  
"Whoa, whoa. What?"  
  
Rory whirled around in the middle of the sidewalk. "Dean. He's just dating Lane to get back at me."  
  
"Gee, you think?"  
  
"Don't be sarcastic! I can't believe he would do something like this!" Rory was gesturing widely with her hands, flinging her body accordingly. "God!"  
  
Jess just stood there and listened raptly. He could think of nothing else to do other than that, because he had never seen her so upset. By looking closely, he could see that she was close to tears. "Come on," he said, gingerly putting his arm around her quivering shoulders. "Come on, we'll go upstairs."  
  
Rory merely nodded, unable to speak. She let her weight rest against Jess as he all but dragged her into the diner, past Caesar's inquisitive eyes, and up the narrow staircase that led to his room. In the apartment, Jess had a decent-sized room of his own, into which he guided Rory. She collapsed on the bed. "Why would he do this?"  
  
"He's a jerk."  
  
"It's okay that he was a jerk to me. But Lane? Why does he have to hurt Lane?"  
  
"I don't know. I think it's pretty much included in the jerk package."  
  
Rory rubbed her forehead. "Sorry I flipped out."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"This has been a bad day."  
  
"Well, tomorrow can't be any worse, right?"  
  
"Don't get me started on the many ways it could twist this day into something even more grotesque." Rory took deep breaths in the quiet, and grabbed for Jess. He sat on the bed with her and embraced her comfortingly. "What do I do? I can't let Lane get hurt."  
  
"Talk to her."  
  
"Will she listen?"  
  
"Worth a try."  
  
A clambering in the front area of the apartment startled Rory but not Jess. "Luke?" Rory asked.  
  
"I should hope."  
  
There was a curt knock on the door and Luke ducked his head in. "Hey, Rory." He caught sight of her face, her teary eyes. "You all right?"  
  
"I'm fine, Luke."  
  
Luke nodded. "As soon as you can, okay, Jess?"  
  
"Okay." With a worried look in Rory's direction, Luke left them to their own devices, then backed up. Two teenagers…an empty apartment…Luke shook his head. Not going to happen. Not here, not now. He clattered down the stairs and went to find Caesar. Jess tugged his fingers through Rory's hair and let her cry helplessly. After a long while, she raised her head.  
  
"I better go," she said softly.  
  
"Go. I'll be there around seven."  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
"But I will."  
  
On shaky legs, Rory started towards the door. "Good." On her way out of the diner, she waved to Luke. Dean and Lane's table was empty. Glancing at her watch, she decided that she had enough time to make a stop before she went home. Instead of taking the long way she had become accustomed to, she detoured down Peach Street. His house looked the same, with the neatly manicured lawn and fairly fresh paint. Apprehensively, Rory mounted the stairs to the front door and knocked. Dean's mother opened the door and look surprised. "Rory. Hi."  
  
"Hi. Is Dean here?"  
  
"Sure is. Hold on, okay?" Dean's mother disappeared into the house and Dean returned.  
  
"What?" he asked rudely and Rory almost reconsidered.  
  
"What are you doing with Lane?"  
  
"Dating her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I thought I might as well see if someone in this town can be faithful."  
  
Stung, Rory retorted, "So she's just an experiment."  
  
"You hurt me, I hurt you. Call and answer."  
  
2 "That's how the world works now, huh?"  
  
Dean shrugged. "What's it to you?"  
  
"Wh—she's my best friend!"  
  
"You don't own her."  
  
"You know what? I don't. Do whatever you want. I don't care." Rory stomped down the stairs muttering mild obscenities under her breath. Her anger carried her quickly through the darkening streets of Stars Hollow. It was rare that Rory's temper glowed so brightly. The temper illuminated her cheeks so that they were burning an intense scarlet. By the time Rory got home, she was calmer but still red. Upon slamming into the house, Rory found the answering machine blinking. Lorelai had left a message about the inn, and not being home until eight or so. The doorbell rang.  
  
Paris pushed past Rory and invited herself into the living room. Tristan greeted her with a smirk and followed Paris' path. Closing her eyes and inhaling, Rory went in as well. Paris, of course, began as soon as Rory was over the threshold. Rory leaned against the back of the couch.  
  
*  
  
Jess rang the doorbell at ten after seven, four coffees in hand. A pattering of feet echoed through the front hall, and Rory flung the door open and smiled in relief. "Thank you."  
  
"I said I'd be here."  
  
"I know. I'm just a little…"  
  
"I know." Jess ushered her inside and went to the living room to be introduced.  
  
"Jess, this is Paris and Tristan. Paris, Tristan, this is Jess."  
  
"Boyfriend?" Tristan inquired with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Paris' eyes moved back and forth for a second, and she kicked back into gear. "Let's keep going. We can't afford to take breaks."  
  
"Paris," Rory beseeched, "take a break. Just ten minutes."  
  
With pursed lips, Paris set her study materials down. "Fine. Is that coffee?"  
  
Jess looked at the tray in his hands. "Yeah. Decaf with soy milk."  
  
"You planned this," Paris indicted.  
  
Rory nodded sheepishly. "You like coffee with soy milk."  
  
Paris accepted it with a suspicious look on her face. Tristan grabbed a cup, and Jess handed the last two to Rory. "I figured you'd need two."  
  
"You're so good at math," Rory gushed sweetly.  
  
Tristan's eyes traveled between the two. "Got rid of Dean, huh?"  
  
"Duh," Rory said dryly.  
  
"What's your project?" Jess asked.  
  
"It's a Steinbeck analysis."  
  
"Sounds fun."  
  
"Everything at Chilton is fun," Rory reminded him.  
  
"I forgot." Jess smiled at her, and Rory responded to it. "Hey, you said something about needing help with that casserole your mother left for dinner."  
  
Trying not to laugh at his subterfuge, Rory stood and answered, "Yeah. I can't figure out her whacked instructions. Come on." Jess rose and followed, nodding coolly to Paris and Tristan. When they were in the kitchen, Jess stood in front of her in the furthermost corner from the living room.  
  
"You okay?" he asked, his usually impassive face betraying him and showing much concern.  
  
"Yeah." Rory placed her hands on his forearms and inhaled deeply. "I'm all right." After another breath, Rory said, "I talked to Dean."  
  
"And?"  
  
"He was a jerk."  
  
"Now there's a surprise."  
  
"He said all this stuff about me not owning her and—"  
  
"Rory, that's part of his jerkiness. Remember?"  
  
"I know. I just…it's true. And that's what sucks." With a sigh, Rory said a little more brightly, "At least this project isn't going terribly."  
  
"That's good. Those two look like a real fun bunch."  
  
"Oh, they are," Rory agreed with a roll of her eyes. "Thank you for coming over."  
  
Jess leaned in and kissed her softly, with increasing pressure. Rory moved her arms around his back and kissed back with all she had, thankful to have someone like Jess. "Mmm," he said, breaking away. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"If I don't call you first," Rory said with a hint of a smile on her swollen lips.  
  
"Bye." Jess exited out the back door. With a little more patience than before, Rory took one of the coffees off of the counter where Jess had left them and reentered the living room. Paris and Tristan were talking quietly, and Rory leaned against the doorjamb for a moment to look at them. They looked, in that instant, like genuine friends.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Did you get your…casserole…fixed?" Tristan asked with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
Grinning impishly, Rory replied, "We decided the instructions were impenetrable. I'll just order pizza."  
  
"Good plan," Paris said wryly. "Now, can we get back?"  
  
"But of course," Tristan said good-naturedly. Rory tilted her head and considered him. In the interaction she'd had with him so far, he seemed to have changed a lot from the annoyance he was last year. He was friend material, actually. In a flash of realization, it dawned on Rory that he might have been friend material before, but that Dean had blinded her to any male besides him. "What, Rory?"  
  
"Nothing." Rory looked to her notes unseeingly. "Okay. We have a bio done. Now we need to start listing the recurring motifs in his literary works. Tristan, take The Pearl. Paris, The Grapes of Wrath. I'll do Of Mice and Men."  
  
The three immersed themselves in study for a good thirty minutes. Rory's brow was wrinkled in thought as she carefully highlighted important passages in her book. Suddenly, the piercing ringing of the phone astounded Rory enough to make her jump. "I'll get it," she said thoughtlessly.  
  
"Good, because I don't think your mother would be too thrilled if I answered," Tristan said with a chuckle.  
  
With a look of mock exasperation, Rory picked up. "Hello?"  
  
"Rory?"  
  
"Lane? Isn't it kind of late for you to call?"  
  
"My mother doesn't know."  
  
Rory made a motion and went to her room. "Okay."  
  
"So, I saw you in Luke's today."  
  
Stiffening, Rory frowned. She had almost forgotten about that. "I saw you too," she said, lingering on the last word, accentuating the double meaning.  
  
Lane sighed. "Are you mad?"  
  
"I think you're making a big mistake."  
  
"You would say that."  
  
"What does that mean?" Rory cried, offended.  
  
"It means, I think you're being possessive."  
  
"Oh my God. How can you even say that?"  
  
Lane laughed a little bitterly. "I think you want to be the shining star like you've always been and you can't handle you best friend being with your boyfriend."  
  
"Ex-boyfriend," Rory said coldly. "And that's not the point at all, Lane. I just think that Dean is a jerk—or at least, he was to me—and that you deserve better."  
  
"You cheated on him."  
  
"You know what? Clearly, both of you are going to be stubborn, so do whatever you want. Get hurt, get in trouble with your mom, see if I care."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine," Rory hollered, her volume level rising with Lane's. Lane hung up, and Rory punched the button with more power than needed. Taking even, slow breaths, Rory managed to go back into the living room and remain polite. Paris and Tristan noticed a marked difference in her demeanor, though. Tristan refrained from teasing her, and by a quarter to eight, the two were leaving, setting up a time to study the next day, in the library after school.  
  
Rory crumpled into a chair that was cleared of their papers. Shutting her eyes, Rory tried her best to construe the situation as favorable. Try though she did, she couldn't. Somehow, she and Lane had split up over a guy. To prevent tears, Rory reminded herself that she had Jess, who had managed to not only be her boyfriend, but also one of her best friends. Now, probably her best friend.  
  
A crash gave Rory a jolt. Lorelai cruised into the room. "Sookie's going nuts," she announced.  
  
"This is new?" Rory asked tiredly.  
  
"Well, the wedding is not going according to plan."  
  
"They never do," Rory told her.  
  
Lorelai fell on the couch, crunching some paper. Cringing, she got up and examined the damage. "Sorry, babe."  
  
"S'okay," Rory slurred.  
  
"Anyway, Jackson apparently has some parental issues, and Sookie invited them when he didn't want them to come. So Jackson sent a letter revoking the invite, but Sookie said it was rude, and sent another letter saying that Jackson was insane and that they should come. And now she can't decide what cake to have."  
  
"Sounds awful."  
  
"It is. That's what I spent the last three hours doing—helping Sookie design stuff and all."  
  
"Aha. That's why you were conspicuously absent. I knew there was something missing…"  
  
Lorelai laughed and reached over to pat her daughter's knee. "You look exhausted."  
  
"Maybe that's because I am."  
  
"Well, looks aren't as deceptive as some like to think. Spill."  
  
Shifting, Rory groaned. "It was a bad day."  
  
"You said you had a vibe this morning."  
  
"It was a little off."  
  
"How?"  
  
"The day was much, much worse than the vibe indicated."  
  
"Like those weathermen on the ten o'clock news!"  
  
"Exactly!" Rory crawled off the chair and into the comforting circle of her mother's arms. "Lane and Dean are dating."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Mmm-hmm. And I have to do a group project with Paris and Tristan."  
  
"Aww." Lorelai rubbed her daughter's face. "Hon."  
  
"And Lane and Dean are both being stubborn. They won't listen."  
  
"Well, then maybe you just have to let this run its course."  
  
"I don't want to." Rory felt a tear slip down her cheek. "It hurts," she whispered.  
  
"I know, babe. I know." 


	11. Brick

Author's Note: Okay, the title for this part might seem a little weird, but if you've ever listened to the song it's named after ("Brick" by Ben Folds Five), you'll probably understand. Wow, thanks for all the reviews, the good and the bad. Wait, strike that. (Just kidding, I can take constructive criticism. To a degree).  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the situations.  
  
  
  
Part Eleven: Brick  
  
"All right. We got our Odd Couple—"  
  
"The best Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau collaboration."  
  
"—Our microwaveable popcorn—"  
  
"One of the best inventions of the twentieth century."  
  
"—Our disgustingly sugary soda—"  
  
"A must for movie night."  
  
"—And, of course, plenty of unhealthy crap."  
  
"You sounded like Luke just there," Rory said with a big grin.  
  
Jess looked sidelong at her. "Be careful. Very careful. You mother's not here."  
  
"I know," Rory responded lightly, trying to keep the innuendo out of that statement.  
  
Staring seriously at her for a moment, Jess grabbed the dish of freshly- popped popcorn and went into the living room. He set the bowl on the coffee table, which was loaded with junk food, and plugged the video in. Rory settled delicately on the sofa, pulling the blanket around her. Jess plopped next to her, and Rory smiled contentedly. "Here we go."  
  
"I love this movie," Rory said dreamily.  
  
"You sounded suspiciously like an 'NSync worshipper there."  
  
"And, like, Justin is so hot," Rory spewed vapidly.  
  
Jess laughed. "In fact, these imitations are a little too good. Are you keeping a secret from me?"  
  
"Yeah. Justin and I are getting married."  
  
"I should have known. After her broke up with Britney, it was obvious he was going to go after you."  
  
"I'm irresistible," Rory cooed, batting her eyelashes.  
  
Leaning over, Jess kissed her softly. "Yup. Pretty irresistible."  
  
The previews ended, and the movie began. Rory snuggled into her blanket, with one hand snaking out to shovel popcorn in. She chased it with sips of soda and junk food. Even though Jess wasn't a healthy eater like Luke, he still couldn't ingest the amounts of junk food that Rory could and ate mostly only popcorn. "I need a break," Rory demanded after an hour. She stretched and retreated down the hall to the bathroom. Jess stood and walked around, looking at the pictures of Rory and Lorelai.  
  
A clanging from the bathroom caught his attention, and his head snapped up. A few minutes later, Rory emerged, looking sheepish. "I had a little soap incident."  
  
"Sounded bad."  
  
"It wasn't." Rory took his by the arm and led him to the couch. "Continue."  
  
"As you wish." Jess punched the "play" button on the remote and lounged back again. Ten minutes from the end, just as Rory and Jess were beginning to fall asleep, the doorbell rang insistently.  
  
"I wonder if my mother lost her key again," Rory speculated sleepily. "This is the best part, too."  
  
"You say that about every part."  
  
She hoisted herself off the couch and trudged to the door. Jess extended his arms and legs as far as they would go, trying to rejuvenate himself. He heard a slight gasp of surprise in the foyer, and some scuffling noises. Curious, he got up and checked. Rory was standing there with Lane, her arms crossed and a frown marring her face. "What's wrong?" he heard her ask softly.  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"Come on." Rory grabbed Lane by the shoulder and steered her into the living room. "Now. Tell me."  
  
"I was such an idiot!"  
  
"When?"  
  
"When I decided to go out with Dean!"  
  
Rory didn't say anything, just cradled her elbows in her hands and pressed her lips together. "So…" she finally prompted.  
  
"So, I shouldn't have done it!"  
  
"Lane, what happened?"  
  
"My mom," she groaned.  
  
"Oh," was all Rory could think to say.  
  
Lane took a deep breath and went past Rory into the living room. "I'm in so much trouble right now."  
  
"How did you get over here?"  
  
"I snuck out the window."  
  
"Won't your mom be mad if she looks in and no one's there?"  
  
"Probably," Lane said in defeat, "but I just needed to talk to somebody. And I really had to apologize to you."  
  
"Lane, it's okay."  
  
"No, I was such a jerk to you. I mean, you were just trying to help me."  
  
"I was. But, I know how it feels," Rory reminded her. "Remember a couple of years ago when Dean and I were just starting out?"  
  
"Yeah." Lane smiled slightly. "I was so sure that you were ignoring me."  
  
"And I was, sort of. Not on purpose, though."  
  
"I can't believe I ever thought he wanted to go out with me," Lane lamented.  
  
"Lane, I'm sure he did."  
  
"No, he didn't," Lane argued softly. "He wanted to go out with someone who was close to you. I guess he figured I'd be like you."  
  
"Lane, I'm so sorry."  
  
"All he did was talk about you, ask about you. I think he's a little hung up on you." Lane gulped. "And I was flattered that he wanted to go out with me. I thought, 'He went out with Rory, so if he wants to go out with me, I must be like Rory.'"  
  
"Lane, you don't want to be like me."  
  
"But I do. Or did. I'm not sure. I thought that maybe if he liked me, you might be rubbing off on me. I mean, you're so…guys like you."  
  
Rory made a "pfft" sound. "Two. Two guys in my life. Yeah, I'm a regular Pamela Anderson."  
  
"No, I mean, guys notice you. I'm just the great friend with the nice personality," Lane said.  
  
"Lane, that is so not true."  
  
"But it is! My whole life, I've been in the background. You were always in the spotlight. This whole town loves you. Your family loves you."  
  
"Your family loves you! This town loves you!" Rory cried.  
  
"Not like they love you. And that's why I dated Dean. I thought that if he was attracted to you…and attracted to me…then there must be some similarities." Lane sighed deeply. "But he just wanted an informant."  
  
"Dean's a jerk," Rory said flatly.  
  
"My mom is going to kill me," Lane moaned. "In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't already."  
  
"How did she find out?"  
  
With a sideways glance at Rory, Lane said, "She found us at the movie theater, holding hands."  
  
"Uh-oh."  
  
"Yeah. And then she pulled the typical Korean-mother reaction, and that was it. Dean will never speak to me again—"  
  
"Good riddance," Rory said vehemently.  
  
"And I'll never leave the house again. I mean, not with my mother's permission."  
  
"Look at it this way. At least I'll be able to deliver your music to you."  
  
"That is an upside. Rory, I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be, Lane. I understand." Rory reached out and hugged her best friend tightly. "You're not just the nice friend with the great personality, I promise."  
  
"Yeah, well." Lane smiled half-heartedly. "Okay, I have to get home and pray that my mother was absorbed enough in making wheat-soy bread to ignore me."  
  
"I'll be rooting for you," Rory pledged.  
  
"I need it." Lane left with a sad backward look into the living room. Rory got up and went into the kitchen where Jess was rinsing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher.  
  
"When was the last time you guys had a full load in this thing?"  
  
"I don't know. We've been saving up for about a year now."  
  
"Nice plates."  
  
"Thanks. The Jacqueline Smith ones are hard to find."  
  
"I can only imagine." Jess wedged the last dish in the appliance and wiped his hands on the towel. Turning to Rory, he raised his eyebrows. "So?"  
  
"So she broke up with Dean."  
  
"Smart."  
  
"But her mom found out."  
  
"Mrs. Das Boot?"  
  
"Yeah." Rory sank down into a chair, and Jess sat next to her, scooting the chair closer on the wood floor. "I feel so guilty."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Rory flung her hands up in the air helplessly. "She said she wanted to be like me."  
  
"It's not a bad idea."  
  
"No, I mean, she dated Dean because she thought that if he liked me and he liked her—"  
  
"But he didn't really like her."  
  
"Let me finish. She thought that if he liked me and he liked her that maybe she was becoming more like me."  
  
"But he didn't really like her," Jess reiterated.  
  
"I know. But that's because Lane isn't me."  
  
Staring at her intensely, Jess guessed, "He just wanted to get closer to you."  
  
"What? That's ridiculous," Rory said, attempting futilely to lie.  
  
"No, it's not. He's jealous or whatever and he wanted someone to tell him every detail of your life."  
  
Rory sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She launched out of the chair and leaned against the counter. "I just don't understand. I mean, what have I done to make her so bitter?"  
  
"Rory."  
  
"She said that she was jealous of me. What have I done?"  
  
"Rory, you didn't do anything."  
  
"But I…"  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"I drove her to this!" Rory exclaimed. "I made her get hurt."  
  
"You tried to warn her that this could only turn out badly."  
  
"I'm a horrible person."  
  
Jess got up and put his hands around her forearms, trying to calm her. "Rory, you're not a horrible person. Lane did this on her own."  
  
With a final heave of breath, Rory let herself relax. "Why would he do something like this? Why drag Lane into it?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Dean really isn't a jerk. He wasn't for a really long time. And then this you-and-I thing happened, and now he's like some teen movie cliché. What happened?"  
  
"I would guess that your relationship didn't end how he wanted it to."  
  
"Well, it didn't end how I wanted it to, either."  
  
"Thanks," Jess said, a little hurt. He concealed it fairly well, but Rory caught on.  
  
"No, not…I mean, I didn't want to have some big fight and break up all of a sudden. I wanted to be able to sit down and talk rationally."  
  
"Can't have it all."  
  
"I guess not," Rory said sadly. Jess' eyes looked a little distant, and she asked him if he was all right.  
  
"I'm fine," he said a little curtly.  
  
"Jess…"  
  
"Anything else you want to do?"  
  
"I don't regret breaking up with him. Not for a second."  
  
"But you regret the way it happened."  
  
"No. Wait. I don't regret kissing you. I just didn't want anybody to get hurt. Why is that so hard?"  
  
"Unavoidable." The tone of his voice was still short.  
  
"Jess, I would pick you over him anytime. Okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Hey, let's go see if there's any Ron Popeil commercials on!"  
  
"You just want to see the food," Jess inferred.  
  
"Well…okay, I admit it," Rory confessed.  
  
With a sigh, Jess put his hand on the small of her back and ushered her out of the kitchen. "All right. But if that gets stale, we're watching the Girls Gone Wild one."  
  
Rory hit him on the shoulder. "You're on your own there."  
  
"And I'll bet Luke has the big TV all tied up with ESPN Classic."  
  
"It's a hard knock life." 


	12. I've Got You Under My Skin

Author's Note: "I've Got You Under My Skin" was written by Cole Porter originally, I think, but I based this chapter off the version that Diana Krall sings. The rating went up a little with this chapter. I suppose that it might get to you if you're easily offended, but most is simply implied.  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't write this disclaimer.  
  
  
  
1 Part Twelve: I've Got You Under My Skin  
  
"A date?" Rory spooned more Ben & Jerry's into her mouth and crinkled her brow. "With who?"  
  
Lorelai stumbled into the room trying to attach an earring to her ear. "A guy."  
  
"Good. That narrows it down to about half the population of the earth."  
  
"His name is Bradley Merrit. I knew him in high school."  
  
"Did Grandma set this up?"  
  
"No. He came into the inn with a business group, and we started talking, and he asked me out to dinner tonight. I meant to say 'no,' but 'yes' popped out."  
  
"You need to regain control of your mouth, Mom."  
  
"I know. It's pesky." Lorelai slipped a heel on and hopped around until she finally secured the other on her foot. "Now, I don't know when I'll be back. Don't wait up."  
  
"That sounds suspiciously like, 'I'm going to sneak in at three A.M.'"  
  
"Daughter, you are far too worldly for your own good."  
  
"I know." Rory concentrated on finishing up the pint of ice cream whilst Lorelai applied makeup in the hallway mirror.  
  
"I gotta get going, kid!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"Pizza-slash-Luke's money is on the table. Have fun! And don't study! It's Saturday!" Lorelai moved in the general direction of the door as she fumbled with her coat. "Bye!"  
  
Rory heard the door slam and sat at the table for a minute. Then she stood and threw the container of ice cream away and loaded her spoon in the dishwasher. The Jeep started and drove away, and Rory was alone. She picked the phone out of the charger. Her fingers dialed the number automatically. "Coming over?"  
  
"Be right there."  
  
That was the entire conversation, so Rory replaced the phone in the cradle and meandered aimlessly about the house for a bit. The front door opened and closed, and she heard Jess removing his coat and coming into the kitchen. "Hey," she greeted him.  
  
He encircled her waist with his arms and kissed her forehead. "Hey." They stood like that for a moment, swaying a little. "Has Lane's mom let her out yet?"  
  
Rory wagged her head back and forth. "Negative."  
  
"How much longer?"  
  
"There's a pool in town. My money's on about two months." Resting her head against him, Rory smiled a sad smile.  
  
"The Kim house, AKA Alcatraz. Scary."  
  
"But not as scary as that horrendous book you made me read."  
  
Pulling back to make sure she was serious, Jess scoffed. "You didn't like Lord of the Rings?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Blech," Rory said, gagging.  
  
"I've never met anyone who didn't like Lord of the Rings."  
  
"Now you have."  
  
"Yet you liked The Fountainhead." Jess shook his head. "You're warped."  
  
"No more warped than you."  
  
"Oh, far more warped than me."  
  
"Based on?"  
  
"The fact that you didn't care for Lord of the Rings, but you liked The Fountainhead. Didn't we just go over this? I hope you pay more attention in class."  
  
"At least I go to class," Rory teased, not unkindly.  
  
"Actually, I have been going to class on a regular basis this year."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Hey, I raised my GPA to a 2.9."  
  
"Good!" Rory smiled and kissed him.  
  
Jess smiled and pulled her closer. "What do I get for a 3.5?"  
  
"Well, I guess you'll have to find out."  
  
"Guess I will." Jess looked around. "Where's your mom?"  
  
"Date."  
  
"Like mother, like daughter."  
  
"With a guy she knew from high school. Which is surprising, because Mom isn't too fond of people from high school."  
  
"Wonder why."  
  
"It's a mystery."  
  
"Shakespeare In Love."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Great movie."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
"Well, at least we know you have some sanity."  
  
"You, on the other hand, are questionable."  
  
"Based on?"  
  
"Based on the fact that you didn't care for The Fountainhead yet you liked Lord of the Rings."  
  
"Touché."  
  
Rory grasped the back of Jess' head and tugged his lips to hers. Their lips melded together in a long, satisfying kiss. Jess started walking backwards, taking Rory with him. The two lurched down the short hallway, through a corner of the kitchen, and bumped into Rory's room. Rory kicked the door shut after her. When they parted, Rory walked around Jess and shut the curtains all the way. "You never know where Kirk will be with his camera," Rory explained.  
  
"He must be the Stars Hollow Gazette photographer."  
  
"Among other things."  
  
Jess reached out for her and murmured, "Come here." Rory obliged and stepped into his embrace, finding his seeking lips and caressing them. Into the kiss, she sighed a soft, pleased sigh. Emboldened by her response, Jess sat on the bed and dragged her on top of him. Rory pulled away bluntly. With a deep breath, she mustered the nerve to look at him. He was studying her, looking deep into her eyes and gauging her reaction. "Okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Rory breathed, unable to keep the huskiness out of her voice. She was embarrassed by the way it sounded, but Jess took her hips and pressed her closer. He found her mouth and continued kissing her, moving ever so slightly against her. A new pleasure rushed through Rory's body, and she reciprocated his movements. This time, Jess separated them.  
  
"Too fast?" Rory bit her lip, soft and malleable from the kiss, and wagged her head back and forth. "Tell me when to stop," Jess stipulated. Her head bobbed up and down, and Jess resumed his attack on her mouth. The temptation overwhelmed him, and his lips wandered down to her neck. With a moan, Rory tipped her head to the side to make it easier for him. Every nerve ending in her body was tingling with the cascade of new stimulation. As his mouth ventured lower and lower, Rory arched her back until Jess stopped.  
  
"Don't stop," Rory pleaded.  
  
"As you wish." Jess' tone was husky, as Rory's had been, and he continued on. He unbuttoned the first button of her blouse and glanced up. Her eyes were hardly open, but hazy with gratification. Taking this as a sign to keep going, Jess gingerly kissed and sucked her soft, pale skin. Threading her fingers through his hair, Rory made a quiet sound and pushed against his hips. Plunging still lower, Jess unfastened another button. The top of her undergarment was peeking at him, and Jess forced himself away. "Rory? Tell me to stop."  
  
"No." She opened her eyes and looked him in the face. "It feels good," she said delicately. "Keep going," she urged.  
  
Bending once again, Jess' mouth collided with her skin, and Rory sighed his name. It almost bowled him over, and he paused for a moment. He hadn't planned on feeling like this. When he first saw her, he took her as an innocent, and he was right. What he hadn't counted on was her quick wit, beautiful smile, and endless intelligence. What he hadn't known about was the way she touched his arm, or smiled at him, or laughed at his jokes. What he hadn't figured on was her shy kisses, her gutsy kisses, her sweet kisses. And now here he was, in a place he had never been, never pictured himself being: in love.  
  
Jess stopped for a moment and leaned his head against her torso. Rory rested her head on top of his and breathed erratically into his hair. Her blouse was halfway undone, her eyes were dilated with happiness, and her heartbeat was capricious at best. "I can't."  
  
"Isn't that my line?"  
  
"I can't, Rory. I don't want you to…"  
  
"To what?"  
  
"To think back and regret this."  
  
"I'm not going to."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
Rory pulled back. "I won't. I'm seventeen, and this is the farthest I've ever been. I want to do this with you. Otherwise, it'll probably end up being some college guy who doesn't know me."  
  
"It won't be like that."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because I know you."  
  
"Jess…"  
  
"I'm scared," he admitted shakily.  
  
"You're stealing all my lines," Rory complained. "You've done this before…right?"  
  
"Not with anyone, you know…special."  
  
"Then it's a first for both of us, huh?" Rory kissed his nose and laughed when he shuddered from the tickling sensation. "Come on," she goaded, bouncing a little in his lap.  
  
"Whoa. Careful there."  
  
Rory blushed a fiery red, and Jess grinned. He had the upper hand again. His mouth descended on her skin again, and Rory sighed in contentment. Squirming a little, Rory got comfortable and strung her hands in his hair. Jess moved farther and farther down and Rory's stomach tightened. He was getting very close to her…Rory gasped. "Oh my God." Unwittingly, she pushed Jess' head down farther and shut her eyes. "Oh…"  
  
A slam startled them. Rory practically fell off Jess' lap and re-buttoned her shirt speedily. Jess tried to repair his hair as Lorelai's voice reverberated in the house. "Rory!"  
  
Rory leaped to the door and opened it. She flung a random book at Jess, who instantly opened it, and Rory turned to a random page in another. Flopping on her bed, she pressed Jess down next to her. "There you are," Lorelai said. "Hi, Jess," she added with a note of warning in her tone.  
  
"Hi, Mom. Bad date?"  
  
"I didn't actually get to the date. He called when I was halfway there and told me that he couldn't make it."  
  
"Oh, so he's big on giving one notice?"  
  
"Apparently. I'm going to change. Do we have any more Ben & Jerry's?"  
  
"Some Chunky Monkey in the freezer."  
  
"Perfect." Lorelai shut the door so that it rested on the closure, letting a crack of kitchen light stream in.  
  
Rory let out a huge breath. "I'm sorry."  
  
"That's a bad omen."  
  
"I'm not too experienced, but I'd say so."  
  
Jess put his hand on Rory's. "We okay?"  
  
"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"  
  
"I thought the regretting process might have begun already."  
  
"I told you, it's not going to."  
  
"You say that now."  
  
"I'll say it tomorrow too."  
  
"Good." Jess flipped the book over and grinned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oliver Twist."  
  
Rory linked her arm in his any lay on her back, spooned against him. "Goodnight, Dodger."  
  
"You going to sleep?"  
  
Yawning, Rory managed to get out, "I feel tired."  
  
"Okay, I'll go."  
  
"No. Stay."  
  
"Lorelai won't let me," Jess said.  
  
Groaning, Rory rolled over. "Fine, go."  
  
With a kiss on her cheek, Jess swung over the end of the bed. "Later."  
  
*  
  
It was only nine. Lorelai was either depressed or tired, but begged off to bed. Rory had tried reading, but to no avail. She changed her clothes, but it didn't take her mind off of anything. With a sigh, Rory turned for the hundred thousandth time. As always, the other side of the bed was empty. In a flash of decision, Rory tossed her covers off and put her feet on the floor. Crawling on her hands and knees, Rory managed to find a matching pair of shoes that didn't belong with her Chilton uniform. Over the top of her striped shirt, she put the denim jacket the hung on a hook on the door.  
  
Cocking her head to the side, Rory listened purposefully for sounds from upstairs. None came, so Rory lugged her window open. She inserted one foot through and followed it closely with the other. A pat clomp echoed a little when her feet hit the ground. Stealthily, Rory crept through the night, praying that Babette wouldn't see her in the bushes. No sound other than the bristling of Rory's clothing against the plants penetrated the night, and Rory figured she was safe.  
  
As was Stars Hollow custom, the streets were bare now. The market was just closing, and Rory painstakingly avoided Taylor's probing eyes. Now she had a dilemma. How was she going to get into Luke's? The door was, obviously, locked, and Rory really didn't want to throw rocks at Jess' window and risk waking the entire town. Her mind scheming, Rory sat on the stoop, in the shadows, and put her head in her hands.  
  
"Fancy seeing you here."  
  
Rory launched off the cement and gasped. "Jess."  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm here to see Luke," Rory deadpanned.  
  
"I always knew you two were a little friendly." Jess sat down and Rory aped him. "So, you just decided to go for a late-night stroll, huh?"  
  
"It's not that late," Rory protested, "and I told you. I'm here to see Luke."  
  
"Right." Jess grinned. "So you came to see Luke, but decided to sit on the stoop in front instead. Good choice."  
  
"I couldn't get in."  
  
"Could have picked the lock."  
  
"I don't have a bobby pin."  
  
"Then you should have come prepared."  
  
"I'll remember that next time." Taylor was heard shutting the door of the market and his footsteps clomped closer.  
  
"What are you kids doing out here?" he demanded, looming in front of them.  
  
"Rousing up the town," Jess answered. "You know, we think it's just too darn quiet around here."  
  
"Well, what with the information I have about you two, I should pick you up by the ear and return you to your guardians."  
  
Rory smiled sweetly and Jess just stared stoically. Taylor puffed and marched away, mumbling about the ruin Stars Hollow was coming to. "You never answered my question."  
  
"You never asked one deserving of an answer."  
  
"Why would you come here so late at night?"  
  
"It's not late," Rory repeated, "and I thought it was time I sat on a cement step and stared out into oblivion. I need to do this more often."  
  
Jess rose and opened the door with a key. "Coming in?" Rory stood and followed him, brushing her thighs off. The diner was eerily silent, and Rory was a little uncomfortable around the empty tables and stacked chairs. "Spooked?"  
  
"No," Rory replied stubbornly. Jess held the curtain that led upstairs for her and trailed her up the steps. Rory instinctively turned the correct corners to Jess' room, managing to be quiet enough for Luke to sleep. His room was messy as always, with books scattered randomly about the room, resting on any available surface. Picking one up, Rory held it to the scant light trickling in from the streetlight. "You said you hated this book," Rory commented, leafing through the volume.  
  
"She's a nutcase."  
  
"You took notes in the margins," Rory pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, well. Had to have something to do while I was reading it."  
  
"Good representation of political…can't read that word." Rory grinned. "I knew you'd find something worth writing about."  
  
"Lord of the Rings is still far better than The Fountainhead, so don't go getting all egotistical on me."  
  
"Now, why would you say you hated a book even though you managed to not only read the thing, but bother to understand the themes? Methinks you are arguing for arguing's sake."  
  
"What can I say? It's fun to get you riled up."  
  
Rory dropped the book on a heap of clothing and stepped closer. "Or maybe you actually liked the book."  
  
"Never."  
  
She kissed him softly, her lips barely brushing his. When he moved in to deepen the kiss, she backed away. "Admit it."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Disentangling herself from him, she scooted back until she was right by the door. "Admit it."  
  
Jess followed her, trying to trap her, albeit to no avail. "Fine, fine. It was a good book."  
  
Rory stopped moving, and Jess caught her hands and led her forward again. "I'm glad you agree," she whispered against his mouth. He said nothing, just made an "Mmm" sound and lost himself in the kiss. His legs hit the end of the bed, and he divided them.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I needed to see you," Rory confessed light-headedly.  
  
Closing his eyes, Jess let the words wash over him. He sat down, hauling Rory with him, and fell on his back. Rory tumbled on top of him and stirred to fit between his legs. She felt herself dissolve, crumble, surrender to the way he made her feel. The world fell away and all she could concentrate on was the friction between them.  
  
*  
  
It was too bright. Jess involuntarily shaded his eyes in his half-sleeping state and rolled over closer to Rory. Slowly, his mind got up to working speed, and he sat up, yawning. He paused in mid-yawn, a sudden realization hitting him. "Rory," he said urgently, shaking her. "Rory, wake up."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"Rory, come on. Get up."  
  
Rubbing her eyes with her fists, Rory pulled herself up. "I'm up…God, it's bright in here." When her eyes enlarged, Jess knew she had made the same discovery. Grabbing for clothes, Rory dressed herself. "Oh, no."  
  
Jess pulled his shirt on and jumped into his jeans. "Come on." He helped her up off the bed and paused at his door. It was six, so Luke was downstairs, opening up for the day. "We'll go out the delivery door." In the darkness of the hallway, Jess led Rory by her hand and smuggled her down the stairs to the delivery door. The bread man gave them a look, but went on stacking loaves of bread. They stopped in the middle of the alley behind Luke's.  
  
"My mom won't be up yet."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"I fell asleep."  
  
"So did I."  
  
"All right. Bye." Rory hugged him fast and started running home. She thrust herself in her still-open bedroom window and stripped. Her pajamas were on her desk chair, and she pulled them on. Noiselessly, she lay on her bed and puffed her pillow. She breathed a sigh of comfort, and then smiled. Shutting her eyes, she dreamed well.  
  
*  
  
Lorelai opened her daughter's door and peeked inside. She was sleeping soundly, and Lorelai checked her watch. It was ten, and she wondered how late Rory had stayed up last night. Normally, she wouldn't get up so late. Shrugging, Lorelai closed the door and went into the kitchen to make coffee.  
  
The aroma wafted into Rory's room, and she inherently sat up. "Coffee," she mumbled, falling out of bed. With her eyes half-closed, she wandered into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey, kid. Coffee wake you up?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Sit." Lorelai put a cup in front of her and sat in a chair herself. "Stay up late?"  
  
For a panicked moment, Rory wondered if her mother knew. She decided that Lorelai wouldn't be so subtle about it, and said, "Pretty late."  
  
"Well, you have to get a good night's sleep."  
  
"I think so."  
  
"I mean, what with the Nazis at Chilton assigning enough homework to keep the super computer busy for years."  
  
"Mmm-hmm." Rory took a drag of her coffee. "Ah, sweet liquid."  
  
"Wonderful ambrosia."  
  
The two Gilmores drank their beverage in silence, thinking their private thoughts. Lorelai looked to her daughter, lost in a daydream, smiling contentedly. With a small upward tilt of her lips, Lorelai knew that somehow, Jess was probably responsible for that peaceful look. Maybe the kid wasn't so bad. 


	13. I Know

1 Author's Note: I was listening to one of my CD's last night, and what should I happen upon but "I Know" by Save Ferris. It fit Rory and Jess perfectly, so I decided, what the heck, I'll name a chapter after it. As for the big question with last chapter (did they or didn't they?), it's open to interpretation until I decide to reveal it. Because I control the universe.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing.  
  
2  
  
3 Part Thirteen: I Know  
  
Lorelai stumbled out of Doose's. She hated going grocery shopping alone because it was a challenge to carry the paper bags and walk straight at the same time. She nodded to Andrew, who was entering, and shuffled to the Jeep. With a heave, she shoved the three bags inside and slammed the door with a sense of pride. When she turned, she saw a familiar sight: a good- looking, dark-haired boy trudging down the street. "Hey, Jess."  
  
"Lorelai."  
  
"Having a good day?"  
  
"Nothing noteworthy."  
  
"Well, those can be good. Just ask Rory." Lorelai nodded and crammed her hands in her pockets. "So, how're things at the diner?"  
  
"The same as when you last saw it."  
  
"Right, half an hour ago."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"So…school good?"  
  
Jess nodded. "Sure."  
  
"Anything exciting?"  
  
"The prospect that it will end soon."  
  
"Right. About five, six months now, right?"  
  
"So, basically, soon."  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Going to get stuff for Luke?"  
  
"He ran out of lemon juice."  
  
"A must-have item."  
  
"According to Luke, it is essential to the livelihood of the diner."  
  
"Luke's a fatalist," Lorelai supplied helpfully.  
  
"Now they tell me." Jess shifted his weight from foot to foot, partly out of anxiousness to go and partly out of a lack of small talk skills.  
  
"Well, I should let you go."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Nice talking to you."  
  
"Same." Jess started walking into Doose's but turned when Lorelai called his name. "What?"  
  
"I just wanted to thank you."  
  
"Thank me?"  
  
"For being there for Rory. She really needs someone right now, what with the Lane situation and all…so thanks."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"And I'm sorry. I was kind of a jerk to you."  
  
"Likewise."  
  
"So, yeah. Thank you, and I'm sorry." Lorelai waited. "Why'd you do it?"  
  
"I did it for Rory. She needed someone."  
  
"But why?"  
  
Looking at Lorelai, Jess tried to formulate a concise sentence. "She was nice to me when I moved here and everybody hated me—more than they do now. And I thought that it would only be right to do the same for her when she needed someone to be nice to her."  
  
Narrowing her eyes in agreement, Lorelai smiled. "Right."  
  
Jess nodded and opened the door to Doose's. Lorelai tilted her head. For some reason, that conversation had sparked an understanding. Maybe Jess was like her at that age…desperate for an outlet, trapped in the middle of nothing. Perhaps he was just a little different about expressing it. Perchance Lorelai had been wrong at first. She climbed into the Jeep and drove home, her mind lost in contemplation. She still didn't exactly like him, but now at least she felt she had some sort of…grasp of his personality.  
  
Letting the door fall shut behind him and earning a glare from Taylor, Jess headed for the aisle with lemon juice. Dean was stocking ketchup on the opposite side of the aisle and looked up with a scowl on his features. "What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping closer.  
  
"Buying lemon juice." Jess held up the small yellow bottle.  
  
"Oh, sure. Lemon juice is such an emergency item."  
  
"In Luke's it is." Lemon juice in hand, Jess moved toward the front register, but Dean cornered him.  
  
"You're just here to gloat."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Rory."  
  
In his mind, Jess heard Rory's voice telling him to ignore Dean. So he did, just walked past him and up to the check-out.  
  
Taylor scowled when Jess came up to the register. "That's all? A little bottle of lemon juice? You aren't just trying to get me to waste receipt paper, are you? Because I'll have you know, this paper doesn't come cheap, mister. And the ink it's printed with. I tell you, if this is just a ploy—"  
  
"Luke needs lemon juice," Jess interjected. "It's not an evil plan to put you out of business."  
  
With a frown, Taylor passed his purchase through the machine and scowled after him until he was out. Taylor re-organized the money in the till, muttering about the youth of today and their lack of respect for the monetary value of simple things.  
  
Luke's was noisy, filled with yammering diners and the clink of cutlery. "Here," Jess said, sliding the lemon juice across the counter.  
  
"Thanks." Luke jerked his head over. "I need to talk to you."  
  
"It's busy."  
  
"Caesar can take it for a minute." Luke seized Jess' arm and forcibly led his up the stairs and into the front room of the apartment. "What was Rory doing here?"  
  
"When?"  
  
"When? Saturday."  
  
"You waited until now to ask?"  
  
"I was giving you a chance to come forward."  
  
"She slept here."  
  
"Why?" Luke demanded. "Did she sleep here, or did you sleep with her?"  
  
"Such a distinctive difference."  
  
"I would like to know before Lorelai comes after me with a pitchfork. Tell me, Jess."  
  
"Lorelai doesn't know."  
  
"She will. Lorelai eventually knows everything."  
  
"What difference does it make if I tell you?"  
  
"I just need to know."  
  
"That's more of Rory's business than I think she wants you to know." Jess raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Look, Jess. You can't have Rory spend the night here anymore. And you can't spend the night over there unless Lorelai is there."  
  
"You were here."  
  
"I was sleeping."  
  
"So what, Lorelai's going to sit there and watch us sleep? Stay awake all night?"  
  
"Jess…"  
  
"Fine." He held his hands up in surrender.  
  
"Good." Luke stood up and left. "Get back downstairs," he yelled over his shoulder. He followed his uncle downstairs and resumed his duties. It was a Thursday, and Rory came into the diner at six, after a long newspaper meeting and a slow bus ride home.  
  
Jess signaled Luke and sat on the barstool next to her. "He knows."  
  
"Knows?"  
  
"About Saturday."  
  
Rory's eyes grew to the size of the cup in front of her. "How?"  
  
"He must have looked in my room or something."  
  
"Does my mom know?"  
  
"No."  
  
A woosh of relief escaped Rory. "Then we're okay." Reddening, Rory asked, "How much does he know?"  
  
"Only as much as he saw."  
  
"All right." Jess started to get up and continue working since the dinner rush was beginning, but Rory yanked in his sleeve. "Did you say something to Dean?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He gave me a particularly nasty look when he passed me on the street today."  
  
"Dean accosted me in the market. I was buying lemon juice."  
  
"A must-have item."  
  
"This town is so cynical," Jess complained.  
  
"Why did he accost you?"  
  
Jess shrugged. "Just general hatred toward me."  
  
Rory leaned back and frowned. "Dean doesn't usually do stuff like that."  
  
"Looks like he started a new habit."  
  
"Looks like," Rory said sadly. A backward glance over her shoulder told her that Dean was currently passing by the diner window, huddled in his coat like everyone else. "It's going to snow soon," Rory inferred.  
  
"You think?" Jess was behind the counter, refilling someone's coffee cup.  
  
"Yeah. I can feel it. Like my mom." Rory snuggled into her warm coat and sipped her coffee.  
  
"Yeah, you're big on snow."  
  
"Me and this entire town."  
  
"Yeah." Jess disappeared into the back room and returned with plates of food, which he dispersed around the diner. Rory checked over her shoulder again, but her mother was nowhere in sight. "Where's your mom?" Jess asked, reading her mind. He had a disturbing ability to do that.  
  
"I don't know. It's six, right?"  
  
"A little after."  
  
"Well, then, she must be running late making plans for Sookie's wedding."  
  
"When's she getting hitched?"  
  
"Supposedly in a month. But that's if they can decide on what cake to make, who to invite, that sort of thing."  
  
"All the minor issues."  
  
"Basically," Rory agreed, grinning. Lane burst into the diner, shivering.  
  
"Hey," she greeted them, plunking down on a barstool. "You have to help me," she informed Rory.  
  
"You're out!"  
  
"Only for school." Lane shook her head back and forth, her ponytail bobbing. "My chemistry project is due tomorrow and I have no clue what to do."  
  
"You didn't start?"  
  
"I've been a little busy lately."  
  
"With what?" Rory asked incredulously.  
  
"I had to copy a good portion of the Korean Bible by hand."  
  
"Well, I'll meet you at my house in an hour or so. If my mom ever gets here."  
  
"Great. I have to go start convincing my mom to let me come over."  
  
"How long do you think that will take?"  
  
"Well…not too long, I guess. As long as I assure her on my soul that we are studying. And, oh, yeah, I have to come home with a chemistry project."  
  
"So, how mad is she?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." Looking up into Rory's eyes, Lane frowned. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it." Rory affected a cool manner, but she was hurt inside. Jess observed carefully from his spot behind the counter, willing Lane away with his eyes.  
  
"Thanks for helping. Gotta go," Lane said, seeing her mother outside.  
  
Rory sighed raggedly and let her head loll on the counter. "You better help the health board doesn't come in," Jess joked halfheartedly.  
  
"Luke better hope the health board doesn't come in," Rory corrected in an equally dismal tone.  
  
"This town is too small for its own good," Jess said as Dean passed the two women. Mrs. Kim shot him a look that would kill a snake and took Lane off by the arm.  
  
"Yeah," Rory mumbled from the shelter of her arms.  
  
"Babe! What's wrong?" Lorelai cried, erupting into the diner.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Right. Because Luke's counter makes such a great pillow, I forgot." Lorelai seated herself and gestured to Jess for some coffee, which he served her. "Come on, spill."  
  
Brushing her hair back, Rory sighed. "It's nothing. It's just…this Lane thing."  
  
"Sweetie…" Lorelai hugged Rory's head, mussing up her hair. "It's over now. Just focus on that. Lane will get better, Mrs. Kim will eventually be able to see through her blinding rage."  
  
Bravely, Rory nodded. "Hey, Jess?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Two burgers, two orders of fries, and two Olympic swimming pools filled with coffee."  
  
"Coming right up."  
  
Rory finished off her cup of coffee. "I had an interesting conversation at school today."  
  
"Did you?"  
  
"Yeah, I did." Jess set some coffee cups down in front of them and took Rory's empty one with him. He raised his eyebrow at her, and Rory pursed her lips. This facial expression usually indicated a serious discussion, and Jess moved on. "With the headmaster."  
  
"Oh? Not another social requirement, I hope."  
  
"No, no. Social, though."  
  
"So?" Lorelai's eyes had begun to dart around the room.  
  
"It seems as though he's very pleased for you in your relationship, although he did let me know that your seeing Mr. Medina would have no impact on my grade."  
  
Setting her cup down, Lorelai met her daughter's eyes. "I cannot believe he told you that."  
  
"Mom, it seems we had this conversation a little less than two years ago. Why can you not tell me these things?"  
  
"Look, Max just moved back after his leave-thing. We thought it best to just coast for a while."  
  
"Which would be nice if you had the luxury of coasting. But you can't, Mom. You have got to update me on this type of thing."  
  
"I know, Rory. I know. I just…I'm sorry."  
  
"Yeah." Rory stood up. "You know what? I'm not hungry. I'll go see if Lane's there yet."  
  
"Rory, come on." Lorelai wiggled her daughter's hand. "Come on, don't run out."  
  
"I'm not," Rory protested, heaving her backpack onto her shoulders. "I just…I need to think and I need to help Lane."  
  
"Please, just tell me what you think."  
  
"I think…I think that you're going to run, just like last time," Rory offered. It wasn't unkind, it was honest, and Lorelai's face saddened.  
  
"See you at home."  
  
"See you," Rory said, waving to Jess on her way out.  
  
*  
  
The sun came through Lorelai's window in splinters. It was being broken by the tiny ice crystals frozen on the glass, creating a kaleidoscope effect. Rolling over, Lorelai faced the ceiling and twisted the blankets in her fingers, thinking. Was her daughter right? Had she run from every relationship she'd had in the last fifteen years? Burrowing deeper under the mound, Lorelai frowned. By looking at her alarm clock, she saw it was six; she didn't have to get up until eight. Michel was running the inn for a couple of hours this morning since she had stayed so late this week. Lorelai knew that sleep was a lost cause, and she knew she had something to do.  
  
The wood was cold when Lorelai's bare feet hit it. Quickly, she shed her kitten-patterned pajamas and exchanged them for jeans and a wool sweater. Rory was in the shower, and Lorelai slipped out the back door.  
  
Freshly fallen snow had always been a favorite of Lorelai's. Kicking her feet, she strolled at a leisurely pace, thinking of the questions she would ask. There was only one person she could accurately ask about her relationships: Luke. He had seen her with every serious man she had ever been with, and he was notorious for his no-holds-barred opinions.  
  
Downtown, if it could be called that, was just waking up, yawning people into the street. Miss Patty's doors were opening and Doose's was just starting to put their wreaths out. To avert being seen, Lorelai took the back alleyway to Luke's. The bread man gave her a look. "Jeez, you people."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You and your daughter must like this alley."  
  
Taken aback, Lorelai asked again, "What?"  
  
"Yeah. You and your daughter. She was out here at just this time last Saturday mornin'. Must be the early morning light that does it."  
  
"Wait, wait. You probably have the wrong girl."  
  
Beginning to regret his involvement, the bread man shook his head adamantly. "No. About your height, blue eyes, brown hair. Little flustered."  
  
"Oh my God." Lorelai stared at him and briefly looked to Luke's back door. "I have to go." As Lorelai was leaving, Luke appeared through the back door.  
  
"Lorelai!"  
  
Whirling, Lorelai faced him, an angry sneer on her face. "Luke."  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Is there something about Rory and Jess you might like to tell me, Luke?"  
  
Luke drew his head back, wondering if she could possibly know. "I don't…"  
  
"You do. How about…Rory sleeping over here one night, maybe?"  
  
Luke blanched. "How do you know?"  
  
"J. Edgar Hoover here." Lorelai jerked her head toward him. "Informant extraordinaire."  
  
"Look, Lorelai, I'm sure it was harmless."  
  
"Right. Why the hell would you cover this up?"  
  
"I thought I'd let them share it if they wanted to."  
  
"Bull! You know that if they had slept over at my place you would have known in ten seconds."  
  
"Lorelai, it was their decision. I didn't aid them."  
  
"But you did. I don't let my daughter sleep out!"  
  
"Well, maybe you should lock her windows, Lorelai. Throw out the key." Lorelai opened her mouth to say something, but Luke cut her off. "Maybe they needed each other, Lorelai."  
  
4 That shut Lorelai up. She clamped her mouth shut and turned around to avoid saying anything she might not remember well. To get home, she took the back routes and walked slowly, pondering whether or not to tell Rory that she knew. By the time she got home, Rory was gone, off to school. Lorelai leaned against the doorjamb and wished for someone to call. And then it hit her: that's what Rory had in Jess. Someone to call.  
  
"Guess this blows the whole snow theory," Lorelai breathed to herself. 


	14. I Heard It Through the Grapevine

1 Author's Note: This part is named after Marvin Gaye's classic song. Try to follow my warped mind through this part, okay?  
  
2 Disclaimer: I beg you, Ms. Sherman-Palladino, don't sue.  
  
3  
  
4 Part Fourteen: I Heard It Through the Grapevine  
  
Max Medina climbed out of his blue Mustang and jogged jauntily up the steps to the Gilmore house. With a buoyant rhythm, he tapped on the front door. Rory answered and backed up so that he could come in. "Rory," he hailed her nervously.  
  
"Mr. Medina. Come on in," Rory offered, even though he was already in the foyer. She crossed her arms and shifted her eyes awkwardly.  
  
"So, how are you?"  
  
"I'm good. Do you, uh, like being back at Chilton?"  
  
With a nod, Mr. Medina affirmed, "I do. I do indeed." A quick glance assured him that Lorelai wasn't coming down the stairs. "We need to talk."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Look, this thing with your mom and I…does it make you uncomfortable?"  
  
"No more than the first time. And you're not technically my teacher anymore."  
  
"True. Good, I'm glad."  
  
"Glad that you're not my teacher?"  
  
"No, no. Glad that you're…you know, comfortable."  
  
Rory nodded and looked desperately to the stairs; but there was no sign of her mother. A long pause encased the pair as they stood, facing each other almost unpleasantly. "I have one question," Rory said.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"How did Headmaster Charleston know?"  
  
Max cocked his head and smiled as though perplexed. "Well, I thought surely you knew…your mother told your grandmother, and she told the headmaster's wife…gossip isn't limited to Stars Hollow."  
  
Rory's eyes widened. "She told my grandmother?"  
  
"I thought you knew."  
  
"No. She didn't tell me."  
  
"Again?"  
  
Upset, Rory just turned slightly. "Again," she echoed with a hint of vexation. The clack of someone's hands on the door jarred them, and Rory scraped past Mr. Medina in the narrow hallway. Jess stood on the other side of the door, hands jammed in his pockets. Relieved to see him, Rory grasped him by the ribs and pulled his lips to hers. Surprised, Jess took her by the cheeks and returned the sentiment. "I'm so glad to see you," Rory breathed, clutching him.  
  
"Good."  
  
Rory took his hand and stood by him in the hall. "Mr. Medina, this is Jess."  
  
"You're Jess."  
  
"Sure am," Jess said with mock congeniality.  
  
"Lorelai has said a lot about you."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
Max just nodded and resumed twiddling his thumbs. Turning to Jess, Rory shot him a look, and Jess drew her closer to him. Lorelai came bouncing down the steps, trying once again to put on shoes and hop down stairs at the same time. "Hi, Max…Jess," she added with more resentment in her tone. "Well, we'll be late."  
  
"And whose fault is that?" Max posed rhetorically.  
  
"Funny man. Rory, there's some pizza money on the table. Have Jess home by ten."  
  
"Okay," Rory agreed coolly, responding to her mother's voice. If Lorelai's voice had been illustrated in a cartoon, icicles would have been hanging off the speech bubble. "Have a nice time."  
  
The two disappeared out the front door, accompanied by Lorelai's giggles. Jess faced Rory and put his hands on her waist. "What's wrong?"  
  
"That's the thing. I don't know." Rory released herself from his hold and trudged to the kitchen. She poured the coffee ingredients into the machines and leaned against the counter. "She's been weird ever since Friday morning."  
  
Jess shrugged. "That time of the month?"  
  
Giving him a withering look, Rory egged the machine on. "No."  
  
"Well, what do you think it is? You understand your mother better than I do."  
  
"I think…" Rory unwilling lifted her eyes to Jess'. "I think she knows."  
  
"Knows? About last Saturday?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Jess let a breath out. "I'm sorry. I screwed up. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."  
  
"No, it's not your fault. I came over in the first place and fell asleep too." Rory banged her head on the counter, and Jess put a hand on her back. "Sleeping only gets me in trouble. I'll never do it again."  
  
"Right."  
  
"I'll drink enough coffee to make a zombie a hyper-active and then I'll never have another problem."  
  
"You already drink enough coffee to make a zombie a hyper-active," Jess pointed out. Rory raised her head and turned to lean into Jess. "Do you want me to say something?"  
  
Rory laughed, her chest shaking his. "No, I don't think that would be wise." She slid her hands up his arms and cupped his face, then drew him toward her once more. Their kiss was filled with passion and comfort, and Jess started backing to her bedroom. Coffee forgotten, Rory followed. "Don't fall asleep," she murmured against his lips.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," Jess replied, shutting the door with his heel.  
  
*  
  
Lorelai entered the house in a hazy, dreamy state. She kicked off her murderous shoes by the phone table and practically danced upstairs, reminiscing about the night with Max. Maybe this was their time; maybe before was just the wrong moment. Mounting the stairs, Lorelai imagined what this might lead to. With one swift glance at the alarm clock—three in the morning—she tumbled into bed, fully dressed and nodded off.  
  
Rory rolled over. She'd heard her mother come in, as she hadn't been able to sleep. It would have been nice to blame it on the coffee, but she wasn't fooling herself. Biting her lip, Rory willed away the vivid memories of her night, and sunk further into her pillow. Jess had left through the window at midnight for fear the Lorelai and Max would see him if he exited through a door. Worriedly, Rory hoped he got home okay, since it was cold. Of course, he got over here just fine, she rationalized.  
  
Another memory popped up, and Rory succumbed to it, tossing again and sighing.  
  
*  
  
Monday appeared out of nowhere, blindsiding Rory. Where had her promising twenty-some hours gone? With no time to ponder that question in lieu of finals, Rory slammed her locker and turned into Paris.  
  
"Hi," she blurted out in shock. "You need to alert people when you're behind them. Maybe some sort of collar or buzzer or something."  
  
"Well, well, well."  
  
"Uh-oh."  
  
Paris fell into step with Rory. Nervously, Rory fiddled with her skirt. "How's your home life?"  
  
"Fine," Rory replied hesitantly.  
  
"I'm sure it is," Paris answered calmly.  
  
"Is this some sort of bonding moment, or is there a point to this?"  
  
"Oh, I was just making sure all the gossip was true. You know, about Mr. Medina and your mom. Apparently, good men and good help are the toughest things to find. But maybe it gets better the second time around."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You can't deny it now," Paris said, eyes wide with unreal kindness. "It's all around the Hartford gossip circles."  
  
"Great," Rory muttered.  
  
"But I'm sure it'll be easy to get a staff recommendation to Harvard."  
  
"Stop, Paris."  
  
"No, no. I hear they love it if one or both of your parents has slept with your teachers. But your mother really should expand her services. Why not administration? Or, hey, go for the bigwigs at Harvard. If she's good enough, I'm sure they'll be itching to take you in. Maybe if she does it just right, they'll give you a scholarship."  
  
"Shut up," Rory said disgustedly.  
  
"But with a vocabulary like that, no one could deny you access," Paris sneered.  
  
Making a sound of defeat, Rory abruptly broke off into her classroom. Tristan raised his eyebrow at her, and Rory waved her hand in dismissal. By some odd twist of fate, they were friends now, at least in the superficial school sense. Astounding herself, Rory found that she actually valued his companionship. After all, when one got past the rich-boy veneer, he was a likeable person.  
  
When class ended, Tristan caught up to her. "Rory, Rory. Slow down. What was that whole you-Paris thing?"  
  
"She was just torturing me. Nothing to be alarmed about."  
  
"I thought she was done with that."  
  
"Not as long as the earth still rotates on its axis," Rory said cynically.  
  
A girl forcibly grabbed Tristan by the arm, and he shot her an apologetic look as he was hauled off. Privately, a chuckle rippled through Rory as she spun the dial on her locker. Louise lifted a flawlessly waxed brow on her way by, and Rory rolled her eyes. Mr. Medina hurtled out of the teachers' lounge, but stopped when he saw Rory. "Hi, Rory."  
  
"Mr. Medina. Late?"  
  
"Oh, well, a little. How are you?"  
  
"Good. You?"  
  
"Fine. Your mom?"  
  
"You've probably talked to her more than I have lately. These Chilton teachers are going pretty heavy on this homework thing."  
  
"They're known for that," Max agreed, nodding. "Well, I'll see you around."  
  
"Yeah," Rory said, an air of sadness about the simple statement. She watched Mr. Medina walk down the hall and tried to see what her mother saw in him. All Rory saw was an attractive man in his early thirties, wearing a suit, carrying a load of textbooks. Shaking her head, Rory hefted her bag onto her aching shoulders and continued on to class.  
  
*  
  
By the end of the day, Rory was harried from the endless looks from Paris. It seemed to Rory that there might be no end to Paris' torment. The day had been looking bad enough already, what with finals looming in the air, but now that evidently everyone in school knew about Mr. Medina and her mother…  
  
Rory dropped her bag by a table in Luke's. Jess came over with a cup of coffee and sat across from her. "Tough day?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe it."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
Rory licked her lips. "I just…Sometimes I really hate school."  
  
"Don't we all."  
  
"You know Max?"  
  
"Your mom's date?"  
  
"Yeah. He's a teacher at Chilton. He used to be my Lit teacher. Anyway, my mom told my grandmother that they were dating, and my grandmother loves gossip, and she told the entire Hartford country club, and now everyone at school knows. Paris won't stop harassing me about it."  
  
"Drink the coffee," Jess advised.  
  
"No argument," Rory said, her lips poised at the edge of the mug. Before she took a sip, she set it down. "It just really made me mad. Why wouldn't my mother tell me this?" Jess didn't say anything, just gazed at her intensely, listening closely. "Why would she tell my grandmother before she told me?"  
  
As though knowing about their conversation, Lorelai banged into Luke's. "I need coffee!" she yelled.  
  
"How unusual," Jess deadpanned, getting up.  
  
Lorelai took his chair. "So, how was school?"  
  
Rory didn't know what came over her. Some force greater than herself impelled her out of her chair. Leaning down, she picked up her book bag with a strength she didn't know remained in her and trounced out the door. "Not good," Lorelai surmised, sighing and rising.  
  
It was raining now, coming down hard. It was about forty, making the rain hard and on the brink of icy. With the snow long melted, it just seemed melancholy outside. Rory flounced through it with no coat, her anger warming her and propelling her through the vicious wind and rain. Lorelai jogged after her, shivering. "Rory!" she cried.  
  
Turning, Rory scowled at her mother and kept walking. "Rory!" her mother repeated. She didn't turn this time, and Lorelai dug her hand into the fleshy part of Rory's arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"Wrong with me?" Rory retorted. "I think I should ask you that question."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lorelai's face was twisted with anger.  
  
"I'm talking about you telling Grandma about you and Max before you bothered to tell me! I'm taking about this being all over school when I've barely absorbed it! I'm talking about Paris haranguing me in the halls!" Rory stopped and gasped a breath.  
  
"Don't get all high-and-mighty with me!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I know about you and Jess!" Lorelai yelled, yanking Rory's arm. "You thought you could keep it a secret?"  
  
"It's none of your business!"  
  
"It is my business! I told myself that if I let you see him, I would never let you get this far. But here you are, sleeping with him!"  
  
"You have no right!" Rory cried.  
  
"No right? I'm your mother!"  
  
"Well, neither of us wanted it that way, right?"  
  
"Right!" Lorelai screeched.  
  
"Right!" Rory echoed.  
  
"Right!"  
  
"Right!" Exasperated, Rory headed back to Luke's while her mother stomped in the direction of home.  
  
"Hey, don't sleep with him on the diner tables, huh? I need to eat off of those!" Lorelai called.  
  
"Only if you don't tell Grandma about the details of your sex life so it can be spread all over school!"  
  
"Deal!" Lorelai hollered, never one to relinquish the last word. But Rory was already marching off into the distance, and Lorelai stood in the rain with her hands on her hips. Luke frowned from behind the counter and said something to Jess.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked Lorelai, standing under the awning.  
  
No reply.  
  
"It's raining, Lorelai."  
  
Still, no response.  
  
"Lorelai, come inside. You'll get a cold or…pneumonia or something." Luke gave up and went out into the pouring rain to retrieve her. "Jesus, what are you doing?"  
  
Lorelai just shivered and let Luke drag her into the diner, where she sat at her spot. Jess scribbled an order down and retreated behind the counter to watch Lorelai. With a determined frown on her face, she gulped some coffee. Luke stood by the side of the table, drenched, hands at his sides, and monitored her carefully. "I better go," she said at last.  
  
"Lorelai."  
  
"I have a car. I won't freeze to death." When she put her coat on, she noticed Rory's, still draped over the back of her formerly occupied chair. Scowling, Lorelai spun and left it there. At the counter, she thrust a few bills at Jess and stomped out.  
  
When she got home, Rory was in her room, and Lorelai was angry enough to leave her alone. Running her hand through her saturated hair, Lorelai knew she couldn't go out tonight. She dialed Max's number and canceled, citing the inn as her excuse. After she hung up, Lorelai stood outside Rory's door, working up the energy to go in. Standing there, Lorelai tried to patch together some sort of apology. Breathing deeply, Lorelai reached out for the door handle.  
  
"Good to see your knocking skills have improved," Rory said caustically.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Lorelai repeated, all her rehearsed words falling out of her head.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Rory…"  
  
"I cannot believe that you told everyone but me. I thought you'd learned your lesson last time."  
  
"I know, I know," Lorelai groaned. "But…"  
  
"But what? You thought you could keep it a secret?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then?"  
  
"I don't know. I didn't want to complicate your life, what with all your new extracurricular activities and all," Lorelai said dryly.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "Fine." A long pause stretched out while Rory leafed idly through a book Jess had given her. "You told Grandma," Rory finally stated. Lorelai waited. "You never tell Grandma anything. Especially things you don't tell me."  
  
"I know, babe."  
  
"But you told her about Max."  
  
"I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Lorelai gestured obscurely, sighing. "I don't know."  
  
Lowering her eyes, Rory admitted, "It really hurt."  
  
"I'm sorry." Lorelai laid down next to her daughter. "About Jess."  
  
"What about Jess?"  
  
"You slept with him."  
  
Rory offered no objection.  
  
"You didn't tell me that."  
  
"Well, I was waiting for someone else to. That seems to be the accepted system."  
  
"Quit. I said I was sorry," Lorelai reprimanded. "You slept with him."  
  
Still, Rory couldn't bring herself to confess it, for denying it was useless. Somehow, her mother had found out, as always.  
  
"Rory, you need to be careful."  
  
"I am."  
  
"No, careful. I told you when you first met Jess and you two were friends that you needed to be careful. Now that you're way more than friends, you need to be tightrope-walker careful."  
  
"Once again, I am. It was bound to happen eventually, you know."  
  
"You're still in high school."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, I imagined it happening a long ways in the future when you were, you know, twenty-five and had a degree in rocket science to fall back on."  
  
"I love Jess," Rory said softly.  
  
Lorelai rolled onto her side and stared at Rory. "Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
Slipping an arm under her daughter's body, Lorelai hugged her tightly. "Guess you're not my baby anymore."  
  
"Guess not."  
  
"It sucks, kid."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Hey, when you do it?"  
  
"Oh, no."  
  
"Just don't let me see it, okay? Lock the door, park out of town, whatever."  
  
"Mom…"  
  
"And that whole diner-table comment still holds. Other people have to eat off of those, missy. Have some respect, huh?"  
  
"Sure, Mom."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too." Rory snuggled into her mother's comforting form. "I'm sorry."  
  
"What set you off today?"  
  
"I don't know. I think it was the school thing."  
  
"Bad day?"  
  
"Paris found out about you and Max."  
  
"Why did I tell my mother?"  
  
"I'm afraid only you and your evil twin that took over and told Grandma can answer that."  
  
"I mean, I should have known that she'd tell all her bridge-club gossip pals about it."  
  
"You sure should have," Rory agreed.  
  
"I mean, what was I thinking?"  
  
"You were probably deprived of caffeine."  
  
"That had to be it." Lorelai nodded against Rory's head. "Yeah, that was it. Well, I guess I won't be able to go more than about a half an hour without a healthy dose."  
  
"Yeah. Imagine what could happen with serious withdrawal."  
  
"Oh my God. I'd be bound to let my mother hire someone to paint a portrait of Max and I."  
  
"A mistake of monumental proportions."  
  
"I mean, it could be the end of my dignity as we know it," Lorelai theorized.  
  
"I think that came about eighteen years ago."  
  
"Only in certain circles." 


	15. The Long Day is Over

Author's Note: Norah Jones' "The Long Day is Over" was my inspiration for this part. It's a great song, and if you haven't heard her stuff, you need to buy it/download it ASAP.  
  
Disclaimer: If nothing has changed, they're still not mine. I own nada, nil, nothing (except for the situations, lucky me).  
  
1 Part Fifteen: The Long Day is Over  
  
2  
  
Winter used to be Jess' favorite season. He despised the cheeriness of spring and summer, with people always planting flowers and barbecuing, but now he wished it was another season. There was no sunlight streaking through his window, although his curtains were opened invitingly. Rolling over in his warm bed, Jess squeezed his eyes shut tightly, willing everything away.  
  
But it didn't work. For some reason, every time he shut his eyes lately, he was inundated with unwelcome memories. Memories of his life in New York, which he had tried so hard to discard. Flashes zipped past his closed lids, jolting him and troubling him.  
  
Sighing in exasperation, Jess flung the covers off although he could have slept another couple hours. It was four in the morning. He padded out into the hall; it was so early, Luke wasn't up yet. Jess traipsed into the kitchen and poked through the fridge. Finding nothing to his liking, or nothing that would sufficiently clear his mind, Jess rifled under the sink and came up with the one and only bottle of alcohol on the premises. In fact, it was quite possibly Luke's first and last bottle, and it was all but full. Jess tipped a glass out of the cupboard and poured some amber liquid into the cup. With a wince, he drank the entire glass in one gulp.  
  
Somewhere in places he rarely acknowledged, Jess knew what he had to do. Pacing in circles, Jess contemplated the task, wondering if it would clear his mind, or just torture him. Luke's alarm rang, but instead of booking out of the room, Jess continued his worrying. Scratching his stomach, Luke came into the kitchen and stopped short. "Hey," he said tentatively. Warily, he surveyed the kitchen. The bottle didn't escape his attention, but he let it pass. "Lovers' troubles?"  
  
Jess shook his head.  
  
"Something else?"  
  
Nodding his head, Jess affirmed Luke's guess.  
  
"Okay." Luke crossed his arms and started devising a way to wrangle it out of Jess. "Thinking of calling Rory?" Gesturing, Luke indicated the phone Jess was pacing by.  
  
"No."  
  
"Who, then?"  
  
Jess just shook his head again.  
  
"All right." A silence colored the apartment. "Look, I don't pretend to understand you. But if you need someone to…you know…well, I'm here."  
  
"Good to know." Jess just stared at the offensive phone, thinking deeply.  
  
Clasping his hands loudly, Luke said, "Well, I'm gonna take a shower, get out of your way. If you need to make a call or whatever…" A final glance at Jess confirmed that he was still preoccupied, and Luke backed out of the room.  
  
Making sure Luke was gone, Jess picked up the receiver with trembling hands. His fingers dialed the number slowly, and he listened to three agonizing rings before someone picked up.  
  
"'Lo?" the woman slurred.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
Rubbing her eyes, the woman sat up in her lumpy, smelly bed. "Jess? Why the hell are you callin'?"  
  
"I just…is Bobby there?"  
  
"Hang on." Liz Mariano clamped her hand over the end of the phone and screeched into the depths of the apartment. On his mat on the floor, Robert Mariano twisted and stretched, wanting to sleep longer. "The phone!" Liz kept screaming.  
  
"Fine, fine." Robert lugged himself out of bed and went into his mother's room. The stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke nearly overpowered him, but it was not a cordless phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Bobby?"  
  
"Jess?"  
  
"Yeah. How's it going?"  
  
"Could be better," Bobby said coolly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Silence was transferred over the line for a long time. "It took a while for you to call," Bobby finally said.  
  
"I'm sorry," Jess apologized. He added no excuse to his simple amendment.  
  
"Right. Do you like Stars Hollow?"  
  
"S'all right."  
  
"Luke?"  
  
"He's good."  
  
"Good." Bobby felt his eyes welling up. He missed his brother so much. "Well, I need to get more sleep."  
  
"Okay, fine." Jess could feel his throat filling up, but he battled past the lump. "I miss you," he admitted shakily.  
  
"Yeah. Me too."  
  
"Right. Well, take care."  
  
"I will." Bobby hung up then. The apartment glowed a dull yellow from the street lamp. His mother was already back asleep. Jaded at twelve, Bobby knew that his mother would miss work today due to a hangover. Returning to his mat, Bobby hated the way his mother's scent clung to him. Sighing, Bobby buried his face in his thin pillow, trying to smother the smell as the sounds of New York bumped by outside the barred window.  
  
At Luke's Jess held the phone in his hands, frowning. The air in the apartment all gathered around him into an oppressive swirl, and he had to get out. Dressing with remarkable speed, he left through the front of the diner. The town was as deserted as it was late at night, and Jess hurried through the streets to the park. He sat on the bridge in the frigid winter air and squinted into the distance. How he wished for a smoke.  
  
A pattering of feet startled him, and he was further stunned to see Rory walking slowly down the bridge in her cake-festooned pajamas. "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I think the same question could be applied to you."  
  
"I just had this feeling," Rory explained. "I had to come out here."  
  
"In your pajamas?"  
  
"Well, I tend not to sleep in my Chilton uniform." She scooted next to him and found his hand. Taking it in between both of hers, she stroked it, staring out into the distance. The quiet sat between them companionably, and Rory waited for Jess to say something if he so desired.  
  
"I have a brother."  
  
Rory's head whipped to his face. He wouldn't look at her, but she studied his tired features. "What's his name?"  
  
"Bobby." Jess swallowed loudly. "I called him this morning."  
  
"Already?"  
  
"I had to."  
  
"Okay." Rory shivered and moved closer to Jess' warmth. He removed his vest and draped it across her sloping shoulders. "Thanks."  
  
"He's twelve." Rory waited patiently. "He sounded thirty." Jess sighed and used his free hand to wipe over his face. "He sounded old," Jess said from behind his hand. Freeing Jess' hand, Rory reached out and enveloped him in her arms, lowering his head to fit under her head. His sigh waltzed over her cool skin, and Rory drew him closer. Relaxing totally, Jess let himself rest against her and allowed the tears to drip down his face.  
  
"I'm sorry," Rory whispered.  
  
"I hate it."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I wish I could…"  
  
"Shh," Rory said, kissing his hair.  
  
The sun was just starting to bleed over the horizon, tinting the sky a weak, pale pink. Rory hated winter, hated the way the sun couldn't seem to rouse itself enough to light the sky. As she sat on the bridge, holding Jess, she could think of nothing but how much she wished she could help him. "You should get going."  
  
"What?" Rory asked, blinking.  
  
"To school. You have to go home and get ready."  
  
"Right." Rory stood and offered her hand to help him up. "I…"  
  
"You did enough."  
  
"I love you," Rory said forthrightly. "I know it's not enough, but…" She backed down the bridge, feeling strangely liberated. When she had said that to Dean, there was a pressure: would he still feel the same way, would he say it back? But with Jess, she didn't care if he was ready to say it; she just needed him to know how she felt, that she was there for him. It suffused her body with tingles as she walked home. By the time she got there, she realized that she still had his vest on. Shrugging it off, Rory collected her clothes and went into the bathroom.  
  
Her shower was long and satisfying, waking her up enough for her to function. The feel of Jess' tears were still burned into her skin, painting her paleness. Lorelai bleakly handed her a cup of coffee and Rory trudged out the door and let it fall closed weightily behind her. She walked past Luke's, where Jess was mechanically wiping tables. He looked at her, not smiling, but silently communicating in a far more telling way. Rory smiled a soft, crooked smile and went to the bus stop to wait for her day to begin.  
  
*  
  
Rory dragged her feet home. Chilton, for lack of a more academic word, sucked, and she would be glad to be rid of it in about five months. The bag she hauled around all day dropped with a thwack on the floor, making any glass trinket in the room shake. Exhaling upwards so that her hair ruffled, Rory remembered that she hadn't gotten the mail. With an exaggerated gait, she meandered to the mailbox and collected the various letters and deposited them on the kitchen counter. As she was turning away, something grabbed her attention. No, she hadn't been hallucinating: the Harvard emblem adorned the corner of one of the envelopes.  
  
Hands quivering, Rory slit the paper open with a letter-opener and eagerly skimmed the letter. Her eyes blew past the "Dear Miss Gilmore," and flew through all her recommendations to the end, where it stated that the directors at Harvard Admissions would be "pleased and honored" to let her attend. Now her breath was coming capriciously, and Rory had to grab out for the counter to hold her up.  
  
She collapsed into a chair. Her emotions were swirling around inside her, stirring her up, throwing her into a tumult. At long last, she had done it. Rory Gilmore had achieved that dream that had been hers since she was too young to know it. Harvard was accepting her; her future was locked in. But she thought that she should feel happy. Not happy—ebullient, ecstatic, exhilarated. The sensation should make her dizzy with joy, light- headed with rapture, giddy with elation. All she felt, however, was a kind of dull senselessness.  
  
It came to her then. She had worked so long and so hard, even enduring Paris' mood swings, for this piece of paper. The small, thin white slip she held in her hands was what all of this had been for. Suddenly, she felt like crying. There was someone she needed to see.  
  
"Jess!" she cried, bursting into the diner.  
  
"What?" He set his armful of plates down and came over. "What?"  
  
"I got in." Rory held up the envelope.  
  
"In?"  
  
"Harvard. I got in."  
  
"Congratulations." Although his remark wasn't punctuated with an exclamation mark, Rory could hear the happiness rippling through his voice. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't know." She sat in a rickety diner chair and put her head in her hand. "I worked a really long time for this stupid little piece of paper."  
  
"Okay, you realize that the piece of paper wasn't actually the goal. It's the education."  
  
"I know." Rory plastered a smile on, but Jess' eyes bore right through its phoniness. "No."  
  
"You'll see it once you get there."  
  
"I hope." She beckoned him closer and kissed him softly on the lips. "How are you?"  
  
Shrugging one shoulder, Jess said, "I got over it."  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I am."  
  
"It's okay to care, you know. It's not very Jack Kerouac, but it's okay."  
  
"Well, if only someone had told me that before," Jess said dryly. "No, I'm better. I'll go visit him. Someday."  
  
"Good." Rory nodded, and suddenly felt very awkward. The comment she had made this morning suddenly seemed overwhelming, and she lowered her eyes. "Well, I better go. My mom will be home soon, and I think she'd like to know."  
  
"I'm sure she would."  
  
Rory got up and Jess caught her wrist. He kissed her cheek tenderly and whispered something in her ear to make her smile genuinely. "Bye," Rory said quietly. Outside, the weather was behaving oddly. It wasn't exactly overcast, but it wasn't sunny. It wasn't freezing, but it certainly wasn't warm. Rory couldn't decide whether she was cold or not, and wrapped her coat around her.  
  
Lorelai was shuffling through the mail when Rory returned home. "Babe," her mother greeted her. "I have some great news!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"You know that wedding Sookie's been talking about forever?"  
  
"I was beginning to think that was a rumor."  
  
"Well, wherever you heard it from was right. It's happening!"  
  
"Oh my God! When?"  
  
"Three weeks."  
  
"Wow. A winter wedding. I never envisioned Sookie to be like that."  
  
"Well, personally I think it's just so she can prepare fifty different kinds of soup."  
  
"Oh, well that explains it." Rory walked next to her mother and started making coffee in the French press. "I got an interesting letter in the mail today."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Well, it was from this place."  
  
"Unusual. Sure it wasn't from a kangaroo or something?"  
  
"No, it was definitely from a place. A place we've been waiting to hear from for about fourteen years."  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh, yes."  
  
"You got in!" Lorelai shrieked. "Rory! Babe! Oh my God!" Jumping up and down, Lorelai grasped Rory and danced with her. "I'm so proud of you!" Rory giggled and produced the letter from her coat pocket. Lorelai skimmed it, her eyes watery and joyful. "Wow."  
  
"'Pleased and honored'," Rory quoted.  
  
Lorelai looked at her daughter seriously. "Rory, I am so unbelievably proud of you right now. I always knew you could do it." Smiling with an air of sadness, Lorelai sighed, "I guess this means you'll really be moving out."  
  
"It was bound to happen now or later."  
  
"It was. So, is there something you want to do?"  
  
"I think…" Rory pondered. "I think I want to see if Jess will celebrate with me. We can go out tomorrow night before dinner with Grandma and Grandpa."  
  
"Okay." Lorelai handed the letter to Rory. "I love you, Rory."  
  
"I love you too, Mom." Rory hugged her mom tightly.  
  
"You'll always be my baby girl," Lorelai assured her.  
  
"Good." Rory disentangled herself and left through the back door. Lorelai stared after her, and then picked up the phone and dialed Max, a wistful look on her face.  
  
Rory entered the diner, which was brimming with patrons. Jess raised his eyebrows at her, and served someone their food. "Hey."  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Want something to eat?"  
  
"I don't know." Rory sat on what she now referred to as 'their' barstool and swung back and forth. Jess grabbed a few other plates of food and apportioned them about the diner. Rory watched him with wide eyes, and he smiled to himself. Luke emerged from the kitchen.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Luke?" Rory asked.  
  
"Heard you got into Harvard."  
  
"From…what…who?"  
  
"Jess, of course."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Congratulations, kid. I'm really…oh, man…I'm proud of you."  
  
"Thanks, Luke."  
  
To distract himself, Luke served a piece of apple pie to her. "On me."  
  
Rory took a bite and nodded. "Thank you." Luke made a face at Jess, who finished clearing the empty tables and sat next to Rory. "Do you want to celebrate with me?" she asked shyly through half a mouthful of pie.  
  
"Don't you want to go out with your mom or something?"  
  
"I want to…to be with you." Rory put her fork down and looked fully at him.  
  
"Let's celebrate then. Anything specific?"  
  
"No."  
  
"We could…watch a movie. How about 'National Lampoon'?"  
  
Rory giggled. "Hey, now there's an idea."  
  
Jess looked at her warmly. "About this morning…"  
  
As she put pie in her mouth, Rory felt her stomach tense. "Mmm-hmm?"  
  
"I'm sorry I freaked out."  
  
"Everybody does it. Look at me."  
  
"I just don't usually do that. So I'm sorry."  
  
"Please don't be. I'm glad you confided in me."  
  
"Okay." Jess nodded to the pie, which was nearly finished. "You finish that and your gallon of coffee, and I'll go rent something, okay?"  
  
"Will Luke give you the night off?"  
  
"Sure." Jess slipped off the stool and into the cool night air. Rory followed him with her eyes, and continued to look into the night. Dean passed by the diner window and met her eyes; she held his gaze steadily until he looked away. Wordlessly, Luke plunked a cup down in front of her, and Rory drank it gratefully.  
  
A commotion was heard outside, and Rory returned her eyes to the window. Taylor and city decorating commission was standing outside the door, making a hubbub about something. Luke slammed his cooking utensil down and stormed outside. He and Taylor engaged in a heated debate that somehow got inside. "…ridiculous, Taylor!"  
  
"Luke, the Committee for the Beautification of Stars Hollow has mandated it—"  
  
"I don't care!"  
  
"Every shop on Main Street must use twinkle lights all winter. We feel it adds to the warmth of the town—"  
  
"You know what would add to the warmth of the town? A city council without a bunch of raving lunatics."  
  
"Well, be that as it may, Luke, you need to—"  
  
"I don't need to do anything. Now, get off of my sidewalk, take your damn twinkle lights down, and leave me alone!"  
  
Taylor heaved a loud breath and tore out of the diner, instructing his workers with gigantic arm movements. Jess came in carrying a small rental bag and crinkled his brow at Rory who just shook her head. He offered his arm, and Rory took her cup of coffee in her left hand and threaded her right through Jess' arm. They disappeared upstairs to the tittering of the diner gossips.  
  
"So, was your mom happy?" Jess inquired, inserting the video into the player.  
  
"So happy," Rory said softly. "She's been waiting for this for a long time."  
  
Jess didn't say anything, just joined her on the couch and put his arm around her shoulders. Letting her breath out in a long woosh, she leaned against his comforting strength. Rory chuckled when she saw the movie he had chosen: "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion." In the dark apartment, Rory was content to just sit there with him and watch the movie, letting him kiss her head occasionally. They didn't say one word to each other for two hours, just let the silence submerse them. At the end of the movie, Jess hit "stop" on the remote, but made no motion to get up. Finally, he said, "I bet you'll invent the Post-It note for the twenty- first century."  
  
"No. I'll just write about it."  
  
"I love you," Jess said out of nowhere.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You want me to repeat it?"  
  
"I'm just making sure I heard you right. I thought I made a fool of myself this morning."  
  
"No."  
  
"That's a load off."  
  
"I loved you for a long time."  
  
"Same here." Jess gave her a dubious look, and Rory conceded, "Even if I didn't know it." She gently took his face in between her hands and placed her lips on his, gaining access to the damp heat of his mouth and dueling with his tongue. Leaning her back against the arm of the couch, Jess eagerly challenged her. A sound formed at the back of Rory's throat and she couldn't stop it from escaping. Jess recognized that noise; he loved it. It always resonated in his mind, clinging to his memory as the sexiest sound in the world. When she involuntarily made it again, Rory was embarrassed. She had always vowed that she'd be quiet about her pleasure, but it was hard.  
  
Jess drew back and touched his forehead to hers. Rory was breathing heavily. "Is this what you had in mind?"  
  
"Precisely," Rory said, kissing his nose. She giggled when he shuddered as he always did. Moving on, she kissed his ear; she knew all the places that made him groan and sigh. Without his knowledge, Jess' hand inched up her Chilton skirt, which she hadn't bothered to change out of. His hand got far enough to make Rory gasp, spread her legs, and arch her back.  
  
Standing outside the door, Luke heard Rory's restrained noise of gratification, and he turned slowly around and went back downstairs. He knew that if Lorelai found out, he'd get hell, but he knew that they were careful. Upstairs, Jess lifted Rory off the couch and clumsily moved her to the bedroom, silencing her laughter with fierce kisses that stole her breath.  
  
*  
  
Rory left Jess and Luke's at nine-thirty, early enough that her mother wouldn't be suspicious. When she waltzed dreamily through the front door, Rory found Max and Lorelai sleeping on the couch, with the TV on, casting them in a blue haze. Leaning against the doorjamb, Rory smiled. Lorelai's hand was draped carelessly on Max's stomach, and Max's hand was snarled in Lorelai's hair. Rory walked forward and covered them with the quilt on the back of the couch, veiling them with its soft warmth. The pit of her stomach ached for Jess, and Rory went down the hall and into the kitchen, sighing as she opened her books for another long night of homework.  
  
After an hour, Rory let herself rest a little, placing her head in one hand and staring bemusedly at the wall in front of her. Visions of her evening kept playing behind her eyes, and she smiled. The whisper of the back door slowly retracted her from her reverie. Jess smiled. "I came to tuck you in."  
  
Rising, Rory took his hand and led him into her bedroom. She changed quickly into her pajamas, reddening at his watching her, and let Jess turn back the covers. Crawling in, she looked like a little girl. Jess gently smoothed her hair and kissed her cheek. "I…"  
  
"I know," Rory breathed, taking one last sip from his lips. "You better get home."  
  
"I just had to see you."  
  
"I know," Rory repeated softly. "I'll see you tomorrow." She gesticulated toward her desk chair. "Don't forget your vest."  
  
"I thought I might never get it back. You like to steal any little article of mine you can get."  
  
"Like your heart?"  
  
"Yeah," Jess agreed, letting the door sigh shut behind him. "Like my heart," he murmured to himself as he left. 


	16. Love Is Everywhere I Go

Part Sixteen: Love is Everywhere I Go  
  
Author's Note: This is named after the Sam Phillips song. Hmm, in the show, Sookie's wedding obviously already happened, but keep in mind, people…this is my twisted universe.  
  
Disclaimer: They aren't mine. I'm just borrowing.  
  
"Dress?"  
  
"Check!"  
  
"Shoes?"  
  
"Check!"  
  
"Earrings?"  
  
"Check!"  
  
"Coat?"  
  
"Check!"  
  
"Camera?"  
  
"Check!"  
  
"All right, then," Rory concluded, "I think we're ready."  
  
"I hope we don't forget anything."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"I need something more like, 'Of course not, Mom. We have not forgotten even the tiniest thing, and Sookie will therefore not slaughter us because we ruined her wedding and completely fried the last nerve in her body.'"  
  
"Okay. 'Of course not, Mom. We have not forgotten even the tiniest thing, and Sookie will therefore not slaughter us because we ruined her wedding and completely fried her last nerve in her body.'"  
  
"Well, that's reassuring," Lorelai said contentedly.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"We're gone!" Lorelai cried, pilfering the keys from the kitchen table and jogging awkwardly out the door in her heels. Rory was already in the car and shook her head.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You weren't supposed to put the shoes on yet. They're going to get dirty."  
  
"Picky, picky."  
  
"Not picky, logical," Rory argued.  
  
"They were pretty."  
  
"Oh, brother."  
  
"And I wanted to break them in before I fall down the aisle in them."  
  
"You will not—you better not—fall down the aisle, or Sookie will kill you. And that's why we've had the shoes for a week and half—to break them in without tracking through the snow."  
  
"Oh, daughter mine, you are too smart for your own good." Lorelai steered the car through dangerously slick ice and snow. "Figures Sookie would pick this day. I mean, we waited for months, and she picks today?"  
  
"I don't think she planned it."  
  
"Well, you never know."  
  
"She's your best friend."  
  
"Doesn't mean she's not out to get me."  
  
"Oh, I forgot. The world revolves around you."  
  
"And to think, none of those batty scientists have discovered it."  
  
"Clearly, they haven't met you," Rory theorized.  
  
"Clearly," Lorelai agreed, swinging into the parking lot of the inn. Rory made her change her shoes before going in, and Lorelai sullenly switched the two pairs. "And she sees this place six days a week, and she's getting married here now? I mean, that's just—"  
  
"Economical?" Rory suggested.  
  
"Oh, hush. I hate weddings."  
  
"Not this again."  
  
"I hope that whole 'three times a bridesmaid, never a bride' thing isn't true."  
  
"It's an archaic old saying," Rory said in exasperation. "For Heaven's sake, maybe Max will propose again today."  
  
"Now, now," Lorelai admonished, a smile on her lips. "Although, there are the requisite amount of flowers around."  
  
"Well, there you go. We have to change," Rory urged, ushering her mother along with her hand on the small of her back. Jess and Luke wandered down the stairs and out into the hallway, nearly annihilating the Gilmores. Jess' eyes traveled up and down Rory. "We have to change," Rory reiterated as explanation. Quickly, Jess kissed her on the cheek, and the two men went to the reception hall where the wedding was being held.  
  
"Hmph," Lorelai said, contorting to change in the small spaces of the kitchen. "Remind me why we can't change in a room?"  
  
"We don't have enough time." Rory all but ripped her shirt and pants off, kicking her shoes halfway across the kitchen, and jumped into the lilac dress. Lorelai was busy re-buckling her shoes, and was grumbling about how keeping the shoes on would have saved time. "All the guests are in there already, I bet," Rory guessed, looking at her watch.  
  
"Take that off," Lorelai advised. "It doesn't really tie in with the whole 'wedding' theme."  
  
"True." Rory added it to her bundle of clothes and she and Lorelai scrambled outside, smoothing their hair, and trying to catch a glimpse of themselves in any reflective surface. Sookie cornered them just outside the hall.  
  
"Oh, I thought you two got…I don't know, lost." Sookie waved her hands about and finally rested them on her stomach. "Oh God. I don't think I can do it."  
  
"You can, Sookie," Rory assured her, taking her forearms. "You look amazing."  
  
"You totally put Catherine Zeta-Jones to shame," Lorelai added, kissing Sookie's face lightly. "All right. Let's get this show on the road."   
  
Rory and Lorelai lined up at the end of the hall and looked at each other. Their looks seemed to say, "Here goes nothing." Lorelai nodded to Kirk, who was in charge of the CD player. "Question" by the Old 97's filled the room, and Lorelai linked arms with Rory. Together, they walked down the aisle to the admiring glances of the guests. Luke, Jess, and Max were especially attentive, and at the end of the walk, Rory sought Jess' eyes out; he smiled ever so slightly, and she titled her chin up proudly. Sookie entered from the back, her fear and elation melding in her eyes. Meeting Jakson's eyes, the fear was extinguished from her expression altogether. Smiling, Rory and Lorelai locked gazes.  
  
The priest led them through the ceremony, and Sookie's parents broke down in fifteen seconds flat. The room was utterly silent, respectful, like an entire roomful of family. Sookie kissed Jackson, and it was over. The wedding party walked down the aisle, and Lorelai and Rory congratulated the newlyweds, then retreated to the dining room for the party. Lorelai went off the find Max, and Rory looked around for Jess. Frowning, she couldn't find him.  
  
"You look gorgeous," she heard against her right ear. With a smile, she turned and encircled his neck.  
  
"You don't clean up so bad."  
  
"Gee, thanks." Jess took her by the arm. "Let's go."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"A corner. Not in the middle of everything."  
  
"Sounds good." Rory let him lead her just outside the dining room. They vanished to just around the corner, and Jess took her by the waist, connecting their lips. He felt her take a breath through his lips and sag against him. "Did I mention how good this sounded?"  
  
"I inferred."  
  
"You're good at that." Rory aggressively pulled his head down to hers and kissed him, loaded with passion and fire.  
  
"You're good at that," Jess said.  
  
With a final kiss on his forehead, Rory let herself out of his grip. "I promised Lane I'd find her before the party got too involved. She's the DJ."  
  
"How on earth did she get that gig? She must be great to have beat out all the other DJ's in Stars Hollow."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I had to help her bump off the competition."  
  
"I like it," Jess growled, causing Rory to flush and duck out of their private alcove. Lane was busily selecting a set of songs to tide them over until the toasting began.   
  
"Hey," she greeted Rory happily.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"All right, so I've got all the greats. You know, the ones people can actually dance to."  
  
"That does help," Rory agreed. The two friends immersed themselves in the task of picking CD's and tracks while Mrs. Kim watched them with suspicious eyes. Lane rarely mentioned the short relationship, and Rory let it slide. It had been coming, Rory knew, that monumental mistake. The same thing had happened to her mother after growing up in an oppressive environment. "There," Rory said triumphantly, holding up a Norah Jones album.  
  
"I don't think that's really dancing music," Lane said with a doubtful frown creasing her face.  
  
"But 'Cold, Cold Heart' has enough of a beat," Rory dissented.  
  
"Well, we'll put it on. If people hate it…"  
  
"…You can take it off." Rory smiled at Lane and saw Jess watching her from his corner. It took her breath away for just a moment; sometimes, she forgot exactly how handsome he was. As he leaned casually against the doorjamb, Rory cocked her head and took him in. He just met her eyes with a half-smirk, glad to know that she was watching him. A smile crinkled Rory's eyes, and she returned to Lane as she put a new CD on. Frank Sinatra echoed through the partially cleared-out dining room, and Rory could see her grandparents blissfully dancing around the room.  
  
"Go," Lane said, waving Rory away.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's sickening me, you two staring at each other," Lane expanded, only half-joking. "So, go, make-out around the corner."  
  
"Why, how dare you!" Rory teased, hugged Lane and skirted the edge of the room to Jess.  
  
"Good music."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
Rory looked down to his proffered hand and up to his face again. "Are you joking?"  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"I just thought you liked your feet more than that."  
  
"No. I'm just looking for blackmail."  
  
"Well, just as long as I understand your motives," Rory said, warily accepting his hand. Jess wrapped one arm around her waist and guided her through the dance floor. "Hey, you're good at this," Rory observed, surprised.  
  
"You think I'd trust you to lead? I've seen you try to help Lane practice for cheerleading."  
  
"I think I'm insulted."  
  
"At least you're starting to sound like a cheerleader," Jess joked, bringing his lips to hers. Luke watched from the side of the room, wishing he were anywhere but here as he watched Lorelai and Max and Rory and Jess. It made him feel more alone than usual, and pine for Rachael in an unnatural way. Jess looked up from Rory for a moment and saw his uncle standing uncomfortably on the outskirts of the room. Nodding his head, Jess indicated the door. Luke raised his eyebrows, and Jess widened his eyes, telling him to go without speaking. Grateful, Luke slipped out of the room, sliding past Kirk on the edge who was trying to sell something or other.  
  
Rory looked up at Jess, smiling. "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hi." Looking down at her, Jess smiled a little and furrowed his brow. "What?"  
  
"Nothing. I just…like this."  
  
"I like this too."  
  
Rory rested her head on his shoulder as the music transitioned into Norah Jones. Without lifting her head, Rory met Lane's eyes and transmitted a silent thank-you. Lane just smiled and went about lining up the next selection.   
  
"You picked this," Jess surmised.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Good choice. I can see 'Cold, Cold Heart' and the whole wedding theme coming together."  
  
"Well, you're tuned into my abstract thinking."  
  
"Not as abstract as 'Mulholland Drive,'" Jess disagreed.  
  
"I cannot believe you didn't like that movie."  
  
"What's the point of a movie if you can't even understand the plot?"  
  
"It's supposed to be open to interpretation."  
  
"And it is. You can interpret whether the director was on crack or not."  
  
"Now then. He made 'Twin Peaks.'"  
  
"Oh, well in that case…" Jess took his arms off her waist when the song ended and took her off into their private corner again. "My brother called," Jess confessed.  
  
"What? When?"  
  
"This morning."  
  
"Wow." Rory sat on the floor and Jess followed suit. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Do you think you two will talk more?"  
  
"I don't know. I feel guilty."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About leaving him with my raving lunatic of a mother."  
  
"I know how you feel. I feel a twinge of guilt every time I leave Max alone with my mother after our junk-food sprees."  
  
Jess knew she wasn't trying to be sarcastic, this was Rory's was of relating. "Max can fend for himself."  
  
Rory sighed and leaned against Jess' shoulder. "Everything will be okay."  
  
"I hope."  
  
"Why doesn't he move here?" Rory asked.  
  
"Well…Luke didn't…my mom didn't…he has friends…"  
  
"Okay. Just maybe if things get bad, you know."  
  
"It's not a bad idea," Jess acknowledged. "How much longer?"  
  
Rory checked her watch, only to remember she had left it with her pile of clothing. She grabbed Jess' wrist and assessed his watch. "Sookie will probably throw the bouquet in a few minutes. Their flight for Florida leaves in two hours."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I just want to be with you."  
  
"You are with me," Rory pointed out.  
  
"Not alone."  
  
"We're alone."  
  
"But not alone."  
  
"Oh, okay. That clears it up." Rory kissed him softly. "Sookie made some incredible food. We should beat down the other guests and get some for ourselves."  
  
"Is food all you think about?" Jess teased.  
  
"Well, more or less. I clear about eight, ten hours a day for school, but the rest I leave for food."  
  
"At least it doesn't monopolize all your time, then."  
  
"I know. I have to keep myself open for other prospects."  
  
"I have a good one," Jess murmured into her ear, sending shivers shooting through Rory's body.  
  
"Save it." Rory scooped some food onto her plate, and Jess followed her, selecting his food more carefully. They balanced their plates precariously and sat at a table that looked abandoned. "Mmm," Rory moaned, biting into a delicious truffle Sookie had concocted.  
  
"My God," Jess groaned in mock annoyance.  
  
"Excuse me," someone said, trying to push past Rory's chair, which faced the wall.  
  
"Sorry," Rory apologized automatically. She saw a flame in Jess' eyes, and turned to where the voice had come from. Dean was with a pretty blonde girl, and they had evidently been at the table before. "Sorry," Rory repeated. "We didn't know you were…were sitting here before we got here and…we thought it was empty or abandoned or something…maybe the people who were sitting here got bored or…" Rory finally stopped, breathing out with force. She shoveled her food in with record speed, not caring how she looked to the blonde, who was eating daintily. Without another word, Rory rose abruptly, and Jess left his half-full plate and followed her.  
  
"Ladies, ladies," Miss Patty sang out. "It's that time. All you ladies line up now, Sookie's going to throw her bouquet."  
  
Rory went over to the crowd and stood next to her mother. "I'm gonna get that bouquet if it kills me," Lorelai joked.  
  
"No, I'm gonna get it!" Rory cried, imitating the crazy women who were obsessed with wedding bouquets.  
  
"I'll beat you up," Lorelai threatened.  
  
Sookie turned her back to the small congregation below and looked back over her shoulder. She tossed the bouquet with so much gusto that it hit the ceiling and bounced down sharply, hitting Rory squarely in the head. Stunned, she bent and picked it up. A kind laugh oscillated through the crowd, and everyone gathered by the door to send Sookie and Jackson off to their honeymoon.  
  
Jess came up behind Rory and stood beside her with his hands clasped behind his back and his lips pursed to kill the smile. "Shut up," Rory said before he uttered a word.  
  
"I didn't say anything," Jess protested.  
  
"I could see it in your eyes."  
  
"It was a little funny," Jess appealed.  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on."  
  
Rory tilted her head and sighed. "Maybe a little."  
  
"There. Let's get out of here."  
  
"And how do you suggest we do that?"  
  
"We'll go through the door and—"  
  
"But where's Luke?"  
  
"Left."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's a social function."  
  
"Right." Rory craned her neck around, but her mother was nowhere in sight. "I don't know where my mother is."  
  
"Somewhere with Max."  
  
Rory shot him a look and went off to look for Lorelai. Deciding she'd never find her, she went into the kitchen to grab her clothes. There she found Lorelai and Max kissing madly, bumping into kitchen paraphernalia. "Ahh," Rory exclaimed, shielding her eyes.  
  
"Oh God," Lorelai spat in shock. "Rory."  
  
"Oh my Lord," Rory said, still hiding her eyes. "Is it safe?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
Max was backed up against one counter, and Lorelai against the opposite, both breathing laboriously. "I just came to get my clothes. And I wanted to borrow the Jeep so Jess and I can leave."  
  
"Yeah, go." Lorelai sighed and kissed her daughter. "Home by ten."  
  
"Okay. Have a…good time," Rory said, not knowing what else to say. Haltingly, she backed out of the kitchen and sought Jess. "Ugh."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing. You'll find the world a kinder, gentler place without knowing what I just saw."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I got the Jeep. We can get out of here."  
  
"All right."  
  
They climbed in their respective sides, and Rory regretted not having taken the time to change before she went out into the snow. In the short time it took to walk from the door to the Jeep, she was freezing. "It's cold," Rory complained, digging to find her coat in the lump of clothing. Jess took his off to save her the time. "Thanks."  
  
"I thought ahead."  
  
"I have a coat…somewhere."  
  
"I repeat, I thought ahead."  
  
"You win," Rory yielded, not in the mood to argue about her preparation. "We were in a hurry," she defended.  
  
"When are you two not?"  
  
"Rarely. But this was an especially big hurry."  
  
"I see." Jess watched her as she drove through the town, bathed in the late afternoon glow of the weak winter sun. Her almost makeup-less face was stunning, complemented by the sheer, shimmery lilac of her dress. She looked like an angel or some sappy fairy-type creature in little girls' books.   
  
"What?" Rory asked, turning self-consciously to him.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You know that rule I have about not staring at me while I eat?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Maybe we should expand that…no staring. Period."  
  
Jess shook his head. "No can do." He tilted his head and smirked. "You don't like it?"  
  
"Well…no. I mean, it's…I don't think…I hate you," she floundered.  
  
"I certainly hope not."  
  
Rory stopped the Jeep at her house and rummaged in the backseat. She emerged with her coat and a pair of sensible shoes. Awkwardly, she arranged herself in the front seat so that she was able to switch her shoes. It took a lot of movement that her hips didn't like, and she almost hit Jess in the face, but she managed. "There," she breathed.   
  
Her face was flushed with the exertion and the victory, and her lips were parted slightly, taking long, full gasps of air. Jess couldn't resist; he took her chin in his hand and urged her closer until their lips melded. Into this kiss, Rory sighed happily and clutched Jess' shirt. When the broke apart, Jess smiled. "I'll have you know that I ironed this shirt myself."  
  
"Well, you didn't use enough starch," Rory informed him haughtily. She shoved her door open and sprinted up the stairs and inside the unlocked door. Jess ambled slowly after her, shutting the front door after himself and wandering into the kitchen. Her bedroom door was closed, and Jess knocked. A muffled affirmative came from inside; she was tugging her shirt over her head. "Hi," he said, walking over to her.  
  
"Hi," she replied, smiling.  
  
"It was a good wedding."  
  
"Yeah, it was. It was pretty great, getting to see them meet and date and marry."  
  
"And divorce, and argue over child payment, and groan about spouse number four…"  
  
"You're such a pessimist," Rory scolded.  
  
"So, there's a question I've been meaning to ask you."  
  
"We're too young," Rory teased, kissing his chin.  
  
"Well, that too. Prom's coming up at Stars Hollow."  
  
"Wow, it's that time of year already," Rory marveled.  
  
"And I thought you might like to go."  
  
Rory pulled away a little and creased her brow. "What?"  
  
"Do you want to go to prom with me?" Jess asked nervously, fiddling with his cuffs.  
  
"Why would you ask me?"  
  
"Well, you're my girlfriend. I figured you might be offended if I took someone else…like Lane…"  
  
"Leave her alone," Rory mock-reprimanded. "I mean…you don't want to go. I've heard you complain about the ridiculous customs of American high schools all year long…homecoming…Sadie Hawkins…winter formal…"  
  
"But you want to go," Jess pointed out.  
  
"Well…"  
  
"No, I saw it in your eyes. Lane was talking about the boy her mother fixed her up with, and how she was getting a dress and everything, using cucumbers and tea bags and all that spa crap…I saw you."  
  
"I don't want to go if you're going to be miserable," Rory said.  
  
"I won't be miserable. I'll have you there."  
  
Biting her lip, Rory smiled tentatively. "You won't have to go to Chilton's."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"I'm positive."  
  
Rory hugged him around the waist. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. But don't think I'm going dress shopping with you."  
  
"That's okay. My mom will make me one." Reaching up, Rory tangled her hands in his hair and bumped his forehead to hers. "I love that Stars Hollow has their prom way early."  
  
"Oh yeah…me too."  
  
Giggling, Rory jabbed his thigh with her knee. "You got yourself into this." 


	17. Fly Me to the Moon

Part Seventeen: Fly Me to the Moon  
  
Disclaimer: I don't know Amy Sherman-Palladino, but if I did, I would ask her to write this story for me.  
  
Author's Note: This chapter is named after the Frank Sinatra song "Fly Me to the Moon."  
  
Prom wasn't an event that was limited to the school in Stars Hollow; the entire town got involved. There was a pre-party, which was a sad excuse for the townspeople to line up and judge those who were going to go; there was, of course, the prom itself; and then there was the after-party. Taylor and the city decorating/functions commission had been conceiving ideas for weeks. Twinkle lights would have to be incorporated, of course, and perhaps a nice bonfire? There were a million possibilities, and the whole town was trying to think of something new and different for this year's participants. Lorelai, of course, had her own ideas.  
  
"A kissing contest!" Lorelai cried as she and Rory were walking down the street to Luke's.  
  
"Mom, you need to get a grip."  
  
"A date auction."  
  
"Most people will have a date."  
  
"A coffee-drinking contest."  
  
"Somehow, I think only you and I would get a perverse pleasure out of that," Rory said, opening the door to the diner. Jess and Luke were debating about something, and finally Jess sighed, grabbed some sort of small cooking device, flipped it over, and began dissecting its innards.  
  
"We're instating a coffee-drinking contest," Lorelai told Luke proudly.  
  
"I think you've been in one for some time. With yourself. And you've won." Luke banged two cups down disapprovingly and filled them with coffee.  
  
"What's Jess doing?" Rory asked curiously.  
  
"Fixing the mixer. It broke."  
  
"Wow, our very own Bob Vila," Lorelai said. "Ooh! Ooh! A waffle-eating festival."  
  
"Mom, please, please give up."  
  
"A movie festival!"  
  
"Okay, you only have like three hours to fill. And there's a dance in the middle."  
  
"Wait! I got it! A fashion show."  
  
"Okay, drink your coffee. You need some caffeine to calm you down."  
  
Luke shook his head as he walked over, ready to take their order. "You know that you drink too much coffee when it's a sedative."  
  
"Stop being Mr. Surgeon General and bring us some pancakes."  
  
"Fine." Luke scribbled down their order and put it on the counter in front of Jess, who passed it to Caesar.  
  
"Caesar's cooking?" Lorelai whined.  
  
"Got a problem?" Luke asked.  
  
"Yeah, Caesar's cooking. I want you to cook them."  
  
"Caesar's pancakes are fine, Lorelai."  
  
"Um, no. They're not, sorry."  
  
"They are," Luke argued. Lorelai pouted, and Luke sighed. "Jess, get out here and take orders."  
  
"I thought I had to—"  
  
"Now!" Luke shoved a pad into his hands, tied an apron around his own waist, and disappeared into the kitchen. Jess looked around the diner until he spotted the Gilmores.  
  
"Ordered pancakes, huh?" he asked. Rory nodded from behind her cup and Lorelai sighed dramatically.  
  
"Oh, hey, Jess," she said.  
  
"What?" he asked warily.  
  
"Now, you know about this whole pre-post prom party thing. Ooh! I found a name for it. Rory!"  
  
"Coffee, Mom."  
  
"Anyway, Rory and I—"  
  
"Mom has been," Rory interrupted.  
  
"—Thinking about ideas for what this year's activities could be."  
  
"Huh," Jess said. "Think of anything good?"  
  
"Nothing worth sharing," Rory interjected.  
  
"Well, we've thought—"  
  
"There you go with that 'we' business again," Rory said.  
  
"—thought of a fashion show, a kissing contest, and a date auction."  
  
"Won't most people already have dates?" Jess asked.  
  
"That's what I said!" Rory exclaimed. "There, Mom, your idea has been struck down, two to one."  
  
"Luke will agree with me."  
  
"I wouldn't put my money on it," Jess said and went off the clear a few plates.  
  
"That boy," Lorelai bemoaned.  
  
"Oh, you're just jealous," Rory retorted, sipping her coffee and watching Jess.  
  
"No, no. I haven't entered my Mary Kay phase yet."  
  
"Wow, you're on a first-and-middle-name basis with her. You're getting close."  
  
Lorelai peacefully gulped her coffee. "So I have a date with Max tonight."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I assume you and Jess will be making out somewhere in town."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"Well…"  
  
"I can't wait until Max gets here. Is this a dinner date?"  
  
"No. That's why I'm eating now, duh."  
  
"Sometimes you eat before dinner dates, though, because you think he's going to take you someplace gross," Rory pointed out.  
  
"This is a house-decorating date."  
  
"Sounds very HGTV."  
  
"He just got back into his apartment, and he's decided to redecorate, and he wants my help."  
  
"Obviously, he's disillusioned. He's going to end up with dancing rabbis all over the place." Rory shook her head. Luke slammed the plates down on their table, shot them an "I-hope-you're-happy-now" look, and stole the order pad from Jess.  
  
"Mmm," Lorelai purred. "Yummy pancakes."  
  
"I think there's something wrong with us. We're eating pancakes for dinner."  
  
"That's because we had burgers for breakfast, silly."  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
"I hope that settled in your stomach okay at school."  
  
"Who do I look like? Paris? I know what I can handle," Rory said, offended.  
  
"My mistake," Lorelai said, chomping on her food. "So, this dress I'm making for you…"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're still liking it?"  
  
"Well, if you don't do something too Christina-Aguilera-ish, I should be all right."  
  
"Good. Because Jess is going to drop dead when he sees it."  
  
"When I see what?" Jess asked, replenishing their mugs.  
  
Lorelai grinned wickedly. "Oh, just wait, just wait."  
  
"Should I buy my Pacemaker now? Because I was hoping to wait another seventy years, but I guess I could spring for one now…"  
  
"Whatever precautions you think are necessary," Rory said smugly. Jess just walked away, and wisely so.   
  
"So, I'll be home by—"  
  
"Three?"  
  
"Midnight," Lorelai corrected, glaring. "And don't wait up."  
  
"That's code for, 'I'll be home at three.'"  
  
"Oh, look. Taylor's going to accost Luke!"  
  
Rory's head whipped around as Taylor entered the diner. He trapped Luke in a corner and began haranguing him about proper decorations for the prom festival, and whether or not they could hold it in Luke's Diner. Luke looked horrified, and told Taylor that he was not going to open his diner to a hundred hormonally charged teenagers. Looking over, Rory caught Jess' eye and laughed out loud at his expression. "I love this time of year. Some think Christmas is great, but what could be better than prom in Stars Hollow?"  
  
"Nothing," Lorelai acquiesced. "I love that they have it in February. It makes us so much different."  
  
"Yeah. I mean, that's the only thing separating us from being another town."  
  
"Mmm-hmm. Every other town has festivals at the drop of a hat—"  
  
"Totally. Every other town has a Taylor."  
  
"Oh, yeah. And don't forget Miss Patty."  
  
"Never. Thus, it's a good thing the prom is so distinctive. It just sets us apart."  
  
Lorelai crammed the last morsel of food into her mouth and checked her watch. "Gotta go, kid. Have fun sucking out this inside of Jess' mouth."  
  
"Leave," Rory prompted, shooing her mother away.  
  
"I think it sounds like fun," Jess said, appearing by Rory's side.  
  
"You would. I have homework, but call me later, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Jess gingerly pecked her cheek and let her go. "Don't give yourself a headache like last time," he warned.  
  
"Oh, no danger of that. It's just an essay, not calculus."  
  
"Good."  
  
Rory rushed home in the nippy late-January air. She couldn't believe she was going to prom; she felt so old. In less than a week, she, an official high school senior, would go to prom. It was a weird thought. Just inside the door, Lorelai's mannequin was adorned with Rory's soft, wispy blue dress. It was beautiful, and Rory wished she could take it off the mannequin and try it on.  
  
On a whim, she turned the stereo on and danced gracelessly around the living room with her eyes shut. She giggled at herself for being such a girl and went into the kitchen to finish her unisex homework.  
  
*  
  
Rory stood at the head of the steps, fidgeting apprehensively with her handbag. Her mother was downstairs talking to Jess, and wouldn't permit Rory to come down even one second before she called. The nerves in Rory's body were tangling themselves into one large knot, and she felt like she might explode if her mother didn't let her come down this second. His voice wafted up the stairwell, soft and sardonic. It was followed by Lorelai's melodious one, rambling about something or other. "Rory!"  
  
In her excited nervousness, Rory almost tumbled down the stairs. But she regained control of her motor skills and grasped the railing for levity. Jess waited calmly at the bottom of the stairs, and his heart constricted when he saw her. Her eyes were cast down to aid her down the steps, but he knew what she would look like when she met his eyes: absolutely gorgeous, with her simple makeup and elegant dress. He could scarcely breathe when she reached the bottom and smiled at him, a heart-stopping grin. "Hey."  
  
"Hey," he answered, grinding out the only word he could.  
  
"Okay, pictures," Lorelai demanded. "I want to see you before that kissing contest."  
  
"I cannot believe you convinced Taylor to do that," Rory said.  
  
"Well, believe it, baby. Now, back against the fireplace. Right. No, left. Okay, perfect." Lorelai lined the shot up, and Rory and Jess smiled. A click, then a bright light, and it was over. "Go have fun," Lorelai ordered. "Be back by one, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Have fun at Grandma and Grandpa's."  
  
"You get to skip out," Lorelai grumbled.  
  
"Bye, Mom," Rory called as she shut the door behind her and Jess. He hadn't said a word, and still didn't as he opened her door for her. The lack of speaking was beginning to worry her, but Rory just spun her dress around her fingers, hoping she hadn't done something wrong, hoping he wasn't regretting coming to prom in the first place.  
  
"You look incredible," he finally declared, quietly, looking straight ahead as he drove them away.  
  
"Thanks," Rory said, absorbing the compliment proudly. Jess parked the truck at Luke's since it was only a block to the school, and less to the gazebo, where the party was being held.  
  
"So, are we going to this kissing contest, pre-party thing?"  
  
"I don't know. Are we?" Rory asked.  
  
"Only if you want to."  
  
"Hmm. Well, it does sound like fun. And you know Miss Patty squeeze every last drop of innuendo out of it…but I'd rather have coffee with you in this diner I know."  
  
"Fine with me." Jess opened the locked door of Luke's and went behind the darkened counter. Rory sat on their stool and watched him make coffee. They waited while it brewed, just stared at each other companionably. For an hour, they drank coffee and debates raged over pop culture. "It's starting."  
  
"Let's go, then," Rory said, setting her empty cup down and trailing Jess out of the blackened diner. The night was cold, but Rory left her coat in the truck, reasoning that she would only have to lay it down once they got in. She wrapped her arms around herself and she and Jess ran to the school as fast as her heels would let her. "Cold!"  
  
"You should have taken a coat!"  
  
"I did. But I didn't want to hang onto it."  
  
"You make such sense." Jess handed the tickets to the girl who was taking them and went into the gym with Rory. Functions like these used to make him sick—and still did, to some extent—but he wasn't kidding when he made that comment about having Rory with him. He would be happy to just stare at her all night. She looked delighted as she surveyed the dimly lit gym.   
  
"Thank you," she said softly and sincerely.  
  
"You're welcome." Lane was the DJ again, since her date had caved through, and she smiled at Rory and Jess. She was having a little trouble with the skirt on her dress, and Rory giggled. When the cheesy *NSync song ended, she put on Frank Sinatra, and Rory dragged Jess onto the dance floor. "Well, don't we suddenly have dancing fever?"  
  
"I like this song," Rory explained, pressing close to Jess, who gave up the commentary. He couldn't think rationally with her like this, molded to him and smelling intoxicating. They moved slowly around the dance floor, and in the middle of their dance, Jess asked, "Happy?"  
  
All he got in response was a sigh and a kiss on the neck.  
  
*  
  
"Let's get out of here," Jess suggested near the end of the dance.   
  
"Okay," Rory agreed. "Where?"  
  
"It's a surprise." Jess stood up. "Just wait here, okay? I'll get your coat so you won't freeze."  
  
"My hero," Rory swooned. Rolling his eyes, Jess ducked out of the gym and ran across the block to the truck. Still starry-eyed from her evening, Rory subconsciously watched Dean and some girl dancing to another boy band song. In her daze, Rory didn't even register that it was Dean until he established eye contact. She looked away abruptly.  
  
Jess came back in with her coat, and Rory accepted it gratefully. They wove their way out of the hordes of people and stood outside for a moment, relishing the cool air. Rory followed Jess through town, and she smiled when she saw their destination. "Ah, sweet bridge," Rory said contentedly.  
  
"We do seem to like it."  
  
Rory frowned. There was no lady-like way to sit down, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot as she formulated the least humiliating tactic.  
  
"Something you need?"  
  
"I'm just…thinking about how to sit down."  
  
Jess shrugged his coat off. "Sit on this."  
  
"You won't die of hypothermia?"  
  
"Well, if you notice me start turning blue, that would be a cue to give the coat back."  
  
"Right." The two sat on the bridge and stared at the inky night sky. It was dotted with little white stars, and Rory tried to find constellations.  
  
"Big Dipper," Jess said, pointing up.  
  
"I can't find constellations."  
  
"I'll show you." Jess edged closer, took her hand in his, and traced the stars. 


	18. Free Fallin'

Part Eighteen: Free Fallin'  
By columbiachica   
  
Author's Note: This is the final part of this fic, unless I write some sort of epilogue. The title is from the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine; the situations are.  
  
Rory came in through the front door of the Gilmore house. She dropped her empty bag by the front door and walked unsteadily into the living room. Collapsing on the couch, she stared straight ahead as though hypnotized. It was inconceivable: she would never have to go back to Chilton, ever again. Her last day had come and gone.  
  
There was a bang at the back of the house, and Jess emerged from in the doorway. Without uttering a sound, he sat next to her and drew her head into his chest, allowing her to sob violently. When she came up for air, she looked at him with wet eyes. "I feel so stupid."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"I mean, when I got there, the only thing I wanted to do was leave."  
  
"And now...?"  
  
"I'm scared to leave."  
  
"You're gonna doing great things."  
  
"I'm so afraid. I'm afraid of leaving home. I'm afraid of..." Rory let her voice drift off, and Jess tugged her nearer. With a sigh, Rory let herself go, let the strain of two and a half years rest on Jess' firm shoulders.  
  
"You'll see. You'll get to Harvard and forget that every one of these people ever existed."  
  
"I doubt it. And since when did you get so good at this reassuring thing?"  
  
"Since I hate watching you cry."  
  
"I'm just stressed." They listened to the quiet for a minute. "I hope my mother does okay when I'm gone. She's making a huge deal out of graduation."  
  
"It's a distraction."  
  
"I know. But what about when she doesn't have any more distractions?"  
  
"She has Max."  
  
"Yeah," Rory sighed. "I guess I'm just inflating my own importance."  
  
"No." Jess reclined back and took Rory with him. She arranged herself so that she was lying lengthwise on top of him. "Luke's pretty torn up about it too."  
  
"Right," Rory scoffed.  
  
"I'm serious. I don't think he'll be the same when you leave."  
  
"What about you? What about when you leave?" Rory clarified.  
  
"He'll manage. He made it for a long time without me."  
  
"He made it for a long time without me, too."  
  
Jess tried to think of how to explain it to her. "You and your mom are his family. You are the daughter he never had."  
  
"Making you the son he never had."  
  
"Making me the nephew he never wanted."  
  
"Oh, right. Come on, Luke loves you."  
  
Jess didn't dignify the remark with an answer. The silence encased them again, and Rory almost fell asleep on Jess' warm form. Lorelai banged in the door, though, keeping Rory from dozing. "Hi, you two," she said. "Rory, I got you a new barrette for graduation. It's turquoise. I thought it would go well with the dress."  
  
"Good," Rory said sleepily.  
  
"Now, we still need to decide on the earrings. I don't know if the dangly ones will be too much with the tassel or not."  
  
"Neither do I." Rory yawned delicately, and Jess stroked her hair. Lorelai stopped puttering about and sighed, standing in front of them.  
  
"Last day, huh, babe?"  
  
"Last day," Rory agreed.  
  
"Wow. I just...wow. My girl's going to Harvard," Lorelai said, eyes watering. She tried to say something else, but couldn't. Straightening her spine, Lorelai sniffled and held her chin up. "Well, what do you say to dinner at Luke's?"  
  
"In a little," said Rory, snuggling up to Jess. "Just a little while," she murmured, sleep finally taking over. Lorelai and Jess stared at each other for a while, saying nothing and everything all at once.  
  
"You were good to her," Lorelai acknowledged.  
  
"You didn't do too bad yourself," Jess replied quietly, looking down at Rory.  
  
For some reason, Lorelai felt the need to confide in someone. "I'm going to be lonely when she leaves."  
  
"I am too."  
  
"But you're leaving here."  
  
"Did you expect me to stay?"  
  
"No, no." Lorelai touched his hand, her voice rough. "Thank you. Rory...really needed you."  
  
"Not as much as she needed you." Nodding, Lorelai rose and went upstairs. "When she wakes, tell her I'm up here."  
  
Jess gazed at Rory, sleeping like a child. Her hair was splayed all over his chest, her legs entwined with his. A feeling that Jess was just getting used to flooded his nervous system, and he tightened his hold on her.  
  
Upstairs, Lorelai fell onto her bed, an errant tear slipping down her cheek, leaving mascara smeared in its wake. "My girl's going to Harvard," she whispered to herself. The ceiling fan whirred and clicked above her as Lorelai repeated the phrase over and over again.  
  
*  
  
"Mom! We have to go!" Rory called up the steps.  
  
"I know! I know!" Lorelai frantically rushed around her room, hastily fixing her hair and makeup. Emily and Richard were downstairs, undoubtedly snickering at Lorelai's scattered preparation. Flying around her room, Lorelai managed to knock several items out of place. "Okay, I'm ready!"  
  
"We need pictures," Emily demanded.  
  
Rory obediently lined up by the fireplace with each member of the group, and then in pairs, and then Richard set the timer, and they took a family picture. "All right, then. We should be on our way," Richard said, consulting his watch. Rory and Lorelai climbed in the Jeep, and Richard and Emily into their car.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Jess and Luke are coming, right?"  
  
"Sweetheart, those two wouldn't miss this for the world. Or even the new Metallica album."  
  
"That's comforting," Rory said.  
  
Indeed, inside the diner, Luke and Jess were closing up in anticipation of Rory's graduation. Silently, their routine down to a tee, they methodically shut the diner down for a few hours. Luke pasted the sign in the window, and the two went out to the truck. "So, uh, when you thinking of...you know?"  
  
"Right after the graduation. Bag's in the back." Jess gestured to the backseat where his bag of clothing lay.  
  
"Right. Well, I'll just ship your stuff to your mom or something."  
  
"Fine by me."  
  
"Good then." Luke nodded and they drove for a while. "I'll miss you."  
  
"Yeah." Jess couldn't quite bring himself to say the same; confessing so would hinder their tacit agreement. Luke bobbed his head up and down, knowing the implied meaning in the simple word.  
  
"You, uh...tell Rory goodbye?"  
  
Jess didn't answer. The rest of the trip was deathly silent. Inside the auditorium, it was easy to find Richard, Emily, and Lorelai: they were arguing loudly about seating arrangements. "Luke, Jess!" Lorelai shouted in relief.  
  
"Lorelai," Luke said.  
  
"Mom, Dad, this is Rory's boyfriend, Jess."  
  
"Hello," Emily said rather chillingly.  
  
"Hello," Richard echoed, holding out his hand. "My, we've certainly heard a lot about you."  
  
"Same here," Jess said, in an attempt to make polite small talk. A hesitation in the conversation ensued, and then the five shuffled around to find seats. They were cramped close together, but none noticed once the lights went down and the headmaster introduced the speaker: the university president of Harvard. Jess could almost see Rory's eyes alight at the prospect of such a prestigious speaker.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a monumental occasion. We are here to witness the 2003 graduating class of Chilton Preparatory Academy."  
  
Jess tuned out about there and tried to unobtrusively find Rory. He couldn't distinguish her from the other black caps, but he kept watching in the hope that she would make a differentiating movement.  
  
After a long speech by the speaker, finally the graduates came up. The group waited through many names before finally her name was read through the auditorium. "Miss Lorelai Leigh Gilmore," the speaker announced, and Lorelai gasped a ragged breath. A tear dripped down her face, followed by another, until they were innumerable. "My baby," she breathed.  
  
Luke looked away, his eyes shining. Jess watched as she mounted the steps, careful not to trip on the long gown. Smiling, eyes bright and glittering, she accepted her diploma and shook the headmaster's hand, and the speaker's hand. Walking across the stage, Jess marked how much she had changed: her walk was more confident than he remembered it. Before she left the spotlight, she turned her eyes out to the crowd. She first caught her mother's eyes and mouthed something that made Lorelai choke with weak laughter through her tears.  
  
And then she caught Jess' eyes. "I love you," she mouthed, and he mouthed it back. Tears were threatening, and he knew it was time. He pulled a letter out of his coat pocket and handed it to Luke. "Give this to Rory," he instructed.  
  
"What? Where are you going?" Luke interrogated.  
  
But Jess said nothing. He rose and exited quietly. In the parking lot, he hefted his bag out of the back seat and waited at the bus stop. It was a long ride to the central station, but he had Oliver Twist with him.  
  
The bus ticket to New York didn't cost a lot, but it hurt Jess to buy it. Every part of his body ached from not being allowed to say goodbye to Rory, but he knew that this was how it had to be. If he stayed, he might never leave. And he had to leave; he had to get on the road. Without looking over his shoulder, Jess boarded the bus and secured himself a seat. Leaning back, he pulled out the worn, creased book and turned to this first page. Each word seemed to sear his heart, so he shut it, along with his eyes. It was a long way to New York.  
  
*  
  
Rory was breathless after her valedictorian speech. Public speaking had never been her forte, but she had gotten through it. It had taken her almost fifteen minutes to find her party after the ceremony, but finally, she and her mother collided. "Rory," her mother murmured. "I'm proud. I'm so proud. Six rolls of film proud."  
  
"Wow, way better than middle school. That was only four."  
  
"You're moving up in the world."  
  
Rory's eyes traveled over every person in the group, and skimmed them again. "Where's Jess?"  
  
Luke couldn't meet her eyes. "He had to leave, Rory. I'm sorry. But he gave me this." Embarrassed, Luke held out the letter, shuffling his feet.  
  
"Oh," Rory said, taking the paper. "Well." Tears pressed on her eyes, but she smiled. "Let's go get something to eat."  
  
"You read my mind," Lorelai said, looping her arm around her daughter.  
  
*  
  
At home, in the privacy of her room, Rory pulled out the letter. It was written in Jess' neat script, each word obviously thought out carefully. Her eyes burned while she read it, her throat sore from tears held in. What would she do without him?  
  
Tears stained the letter by the time she was done, and Rory was at a loss. It hit her in one hard swoop how much she relied on Jess now. Deciding that Jess did this for a reason, and that he would never intentionally hurt her, Rory pressed the letter into the envelope and put that in the bag she had packed for Boston. Wandering over to her shelf, she picked out "Howl" and flipped through it, desperate to catch every last bit of him.  
  
Outside, the sky was dark, satiny smooth with a lack of clouds. Jess was looking at the same sky from his bus seat. In tandem with Rory in Stars Hollow, he traced the Big Dipper, lacing the stars together with his finger. 


	19. Epilogue: One Fine Day

Epilogue: One Fine Day  
  
The woman threw her empty coffee cup in the trashcan outside the Starbucks. It was time for another cup. She looked both ways and crossed the bustling New York street, dodging the winter puddles. With a soft exhale of icy breath, she pulled her coat closer around her. A small child hit her knee, and the woman stepped aside with a smile. The little boy continued on, enthralled by the Christmas glow of New York City.  
  
The woman turned a street corner and carefully breached the gap between the next corner, her hair whipping about her face. In her left hand, her stylish handbag dangled from her fingers. If any pickpockets had been nearby, they would have licked their lips in anticipation. Oblivious, the woman picked her way through the glimmering streets.  
  
Gasping from the cold, the woman ducked into a corner coffee shop. The proprietor knew her well and instantly handed her strong black coffee. Grateful, the woman sipped it at her usual window table. This was her favorite spot in New York City: this table, with the soft jazz music in the background, and a book in front of her.  
  
She slipped her coat off and hung it on the back of the chair. Her purse was large enough to fit two books, and she selected carefully. It was a thick volume, The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise combined. Sipping her coffee, the woman allowed herself to become absorbed in the melodic prose.  
  
Fifteen blocks away, a man and a boy walked down the sidewalk in a familiar silence. The boy stopped in front of a bus station and the man turned to him. "Better go," he said.  
  
"Yeah," the boy agreed.  
  
"Well." The man searched for words by gesticulating. "Have a good time."  
  
"I will."  
  
"And, you know, call. If you get the chance."  
  
"Sure."  
  
The man reached out to the boy as if to hug him, but just slapped him paternally on the back. "Call me when your bus gets here."  
  
"I'll just take a cab to the apartment."  
  
"Fine." The man watched the boy go, squinting until he couldn't see the slouched form of his brother anymore. With a sigh, the man left the bus station and walked, shoving his hands in his pockets. He kept his head down, observing the marks of the pavement fluttering by, occasionally bumping a passerby.  
  
The sky was blackened, and the man instinctively looked up for the Big Dipper; but, of course, he couldn't discern it from the reflection of New York's lights. He maintained his walk, going nowhere in particular, just looking through the streets of the city. On every corner, he was confronted by Salvation Army Santas, and he was finally irritated enough to dump some change in a bucket.  
  
On a whim, he rounded a corner and turned down a random street. It was well lit, lined with upper-middle-class shops. Families walked along, holding hands, restraining bouncing children from being hit but busses. The man spotted a bright, welcoming coffee shop and decided that a cup might be a good thing. As he passed the window, something grabbed his attention. Backing up, he stared at the woman just inside the window. She was hunched over an F. Scott Fitzgerald volume, her chestnut hair floating on her shoulders, landing on top of her pale blue sweater. The man smiled and clanged the door open.  
  
Surreptitiously looking at the woman by the window, he distractedly purchased a cup of generic coffee. His eyes fixed on the woman, he meandered slowly over to her table. "I thought surely you would have read that by now." He nodded to the book.  
  
Startled, the woman studied the strange man in front of her. It dawned on her slowly, and when it did, she curved her lips upward slightly. "I did. But now they've combined them. I can't resist one-stop shopping."  
  
The man invited himself to sit down. Taking a drag from the coffee, he indicated the book. "So you're saying that if they combined all the Charles Dickens books into one volume, you'd re-read them, too?"  
  
"Well, we'll just have to see if they ever do that," the woman countered, drinking the final drop of coffee from her large mug. The two sat quietly, just studying one another. Finally, the woman asked, "How did you find me?"  
  
"I was just walking down the street."  
  
"And you saw me in this coffee shop?"  
  
"I should have known we'd meet again in a coffee shop." The man smirked wryly. "Back to this one-stop shopping. If they combined The Lord of the Rings into one book, you'd re-read them as well?"  
  
"Never."  
  
"You've just set yourself a double standard."  
  
"There's a point where you have to draw the line for one-stop shopping," the woman argued, still grinning. "I mean, when you combine something like an autobody shop and a hat shop."  
  
"How have you been?" the man asked.  
  
"Good. You?"  
  
"Good."  
  
A warm smile was exchanged between the two. The woman marked her place and shoved the book into her bag, alongside the other book. In between them, a piece of paper, creased and falling apart with age and numerous reads, chafed softly. Reaching down, the woman took it out and laid it on the table. The man looked at it, then to her, and then grabbed the paper, crumpled it, and tossed it into the wastebasket.  
  
"Let's get out of here," he proposed.  
  
The woman shoved her empty mug to the edge of the table, smiled at the owner, put her coat and purse on. "Let's," she agreed. The man held the door for her as they exited the warm shop. Looking at the man, the woman walked blindly through the crowds. Content, she reached for his hand, and he squeezed it.  
  
The pair walked into the frigid New York night, a halo of Christmas lights surrounding them. They leaned close together, talking and laughing, and turned the corner, disappearing into the welcoming night. 


End file.
